Former Lakers Fan-Favorite Forward Released Just Before Playoffs

With all the shocking firings that have happened of late, it is easy to miss some player movement occurring just before the season comes to a close.

Anyone being released or fired just before the end of the season is a bit head-scratching, even for someone on a smaller scale like former Lakers forward Cole Swider. Swider was released by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

More news: 'Drained Joy,' NBA Insider Reveals Insane Details on Michael Malone Firing

Swider was a sharpshooting undrafted free agent out of Syracuse who started out playing for the Lakers back in the 2022-23 season. While he only played in seven games, he showed he was a capable shooter, shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Swider made more of a name for himself with the South Bay Lakers rather than the LA Lakers. In 27 games in his first season after being signed to the roster, he put up 17.1 points per game on 44 percent shooting from three on 7.6 attempts per game.

He never really got a chance to shine for the team, but Swider's skill set seemed like a useful one to fans to help support LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, all players more interior-focused.

After a bit of journeying around the NBA, Swider made his way back to the South Bay Lakers this year, where he played in 13 games and averaged 21.1 points per game on 44% shooting from three on 9.4 attempts per game.

This season, he finally found some footing in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors, where in ten games he averaged 19.5 minutes per game, managing to score 7.4 points per game.

His three-point shooting was a solid 36%, but his field goal percentage beyond that wasn't great, with his overall percentage being just 38% from the field. While three-point shooting is arguably the most valuable skill in today's NBA, Swider doesn't do much more than that, which is what likely led to his release.

At just 25 years old, Swider still has time to improve and find a role on an NBA team, but it is definitely getting bleak. After playing for four teams in three seasons, it seems like it will be hard for the forward to find a long-term home, unless he gets lucky like he almost did with the Raptors.

More news: Anthony Davis Seemingly Shades Rob Pelinka Ahead of Lakers vs Dallas Matchup

Given his shooting ability, Swider could have potentially been an interesting addition to a playoff team looking for more spacing, but unfortunately, his release comes well after the deadline for released players to be playoff eligible, making it unlikely anyone signs him at this point.

Maybe another reunion with the Lakers for next season is on the cards, which would be a delight for the fans.

For more NBA news and rumors, stay tuned to Newsweek Sports.