Los Angeles Lakers fans have seen plenty of faces come in and out of head coach JJ Redick's lineup throughout the 2024-25 NBA campaign. According to Basketball Reference, 24 different players have played minutes for the Lakers this season which is up from last year's total of 21.
One player who Lakers fans have likely already forgotten about is French forward Armel Traoré. The 22-year-old rookie was signed as an undrafted free agent in July and only spent less than a year with the franchise before being released from his two-way deal earlier this month to make room for guard Jordan Goodwin.
While finding a new home has taken some time, Traoré now officially knows where he'll spend the remainder of the season.
Lakers News: Armel Traoré Signs With BAXI Manresa
On Tuesday, Basket News reported that Liga ACB's BAXI Manresa has signed Traoré for the remainder of the season. His contract reportedly contains an option for the 2025-26 campaign.
The Charenton-le-Pont, France native returning to Europe isn't surprising considering that's where he's spent the majority of his basketball career. He last played overseas with Blois of France's LNB Élite during the 2023-24 season, averaging 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and .541/.262/.646 splits across 33 appearances.
Even though he was relatively raw, the Lakers hoped that they could develop Traoré into a reliable bench piece. Instead, the undrafted rookie spent most of his time in the G League and struggled whenever he got an NBA opportunity, averaging just 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game while shooting 31.6% from the floor playing nine games in Redick's lineup.
While Traoré's time with the Lakers was a failure, the door isn't closed on his NBA dreams just yet. He just turned 22 years old in January, meaning he has plenty of time to refine his game in Spain (or anywhere else in Europe) before attempting another North American return.
It's too bad the Traoré experiment didn't pan out, but there isn't a need for L.A. fans to dwell on the past. After all, the future is looking brighter than ever as the Lakers are currently tied for the fifth-best 2024-25 NBA Finals odds (+1800) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
More Los Angeles Lakers News & Rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.