The Lakers were active right away in undrafted free agency, reportedly signing Villanova center Eric Dixon to a two-way deal.
After trading up a couple of times to select Adou Thiero from Arkansas with the No. 36 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Lakers were quick to add another rookie to the roster via the undrafted free agent market.
Los Angeles reportedly agreed to terms with Eric Dixon, bringing the Villanova guard to the Lakers on a two-way deal.
Villanova star Eric Dixon has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. Dixon was the No. 1 scorer in college basketball last season, shooting 41% from 3-point range.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2025
Dixon was connected to the Lakers in many mock drafts, so his arrival in L.A. is far from a surprise.
As a scorer, Dixon is as explosive as they come. He led the NCAA in points, averaging 23.3 points per game while shooting 41% from deep.
Dixon not only shoots well from 3-point range, but he is aggressive getting those shots up. He took 7.2 attempts from beyond the arc during his final year of collegiate ball.
While progress isn’t always linear, it was for Dixon. Every season, his scoring increased along with his assists and steal numbers. As a freshman, he had a limited role, playing in only 21 games and starting in none of them.
However, over the next four years, Dixon started in every game he played for the Wildcats.
During his five years at Villanova, Dixon worked with head coaches Jay Wright and Kyle Neptune.
This season, he had five games in which he scored 30 or more points. His most impressive performance came in a loss to Maryland. In that contest, he scored 38 points and went 5-11 from 3-point range. Unfortunately, he missed a potential game-winner in the closing seconds, but his play allowed Villanova to be in position for a win to begin with.
Eric Dixon looked like one of college basketball’s premier scorers dropping 38 points for Villanova in a narrow loss to Maryland. Some exceptional shot-making while generating quite a bit of offense for himself and others. pic.twitter.com/YDu0iXIp8t
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 24, 2024
In his final collegiate game, Dixon finished strong, scoring 29 points in a 104-98 loss to UCF. His ability to score in bunches and do so even with limited spacing makes him a compelling pickup for the Lakers.
At 6’8, Dixon has decent size and clearly the shooting capacity to become an elite threat from the perimeter.
With Dixon on a two-way contract, he’ll split his time between the Lakers and with South Bay in the G League.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.