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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Colin Castleton and forwards Blake Hinson and Armel Traore to two-way contracts, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
Castleton returns for a second season with the Lakers after originally going undrafted and signing a two-way contract out of Florida in 2023. He told us he was hoping to return to the Lakers to continue his development, and now he gets that chance.
The 24-year-old appeared in 16 contests for the Lakers last season, averaging 1.5 points in 3.7 minutes per game. Castleton also played in 12 regular season G League games, averaging 14.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks in 28.6 minutes with the South Bay Lakers.
Hinson and Traore were both undrafted free agents this year that quickly landed with the Lakers on two-way deals.
Hinson averaged 18.5 points per game in 33 outings for the University of Pittsburgh last season, shooting an ACC-best 42.1% from 3-point range. He earned All-ACC First Team honors, ranking second in the conference in 3-point field goals made and third in points per game.
Traore averaged 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33 games (28 starts) last season for ADA Blois of the LNB Élite in his home country of France. He previously played for Metropolitans 92 in 2022-23 and was a teammate of San Antonio Spurs Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
Castleton, Hinson and Traore all played for the Lakers in their Summer League opener on Saturday afternoon, flashing their talent despite the loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Lakers’ Colin Castleton working on 3-point shot?
When Colin Castleton spoke with Lakers Nation about what he has been working on this offseason, he specifically mentioned looking to improve his shooting from outside after not being a threat from beyond the arc so far in his career.
“Yeah, every day. That’s the focal point this summer, that’s the No. 1 thing,” Castleton said. “I feel like I’ve gotten more shots up than I have my whole life, to be honest. Just every single day, working on my shot in the gym with multiple coaches and some of the guys in the front office helping me as well.
“So, just being able to focus on that going into Summer League cause it’s something that we want to do and I want to be able to do in Summer League to be able to showcase that ability that I worked on throughout the whole summer. So, that’s the No. 1 focal point this summer, that and my defense, just little tendencies. But for the most part, that’s the biggest focus I have this whole entire summer.”