Lakers tender two-way offer to Colin Castleton, make him restricted free agent
In their final business prior to the start of free agency, the Lakers tendered a contract offer to Colin Castleton to make him a restricted free agent.
The Lakers’ busy Saturday saw lots and lots of news transpire and ended with perhaps the quietest move of them all. In the final move of the day, the Lakers tendered a two-way contract offer to Colin Castleton, making him a restricted free agent.
Castleton spent the majority of last season with the South Bay Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Colin Castleton, a league source told @spotrac.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2024
He's now a restricted free agent.
Signed as a two-way player last season, Castleton impressed during Summer League. However, that did not lead to much playing time with the Lakers, as he saw just 59 minutes in 16 games, all of which were garbage time.
He found much more success in the G League, playing 12 games and averaging 18.7 points. He shot 60.1% from the field and grabbed 11.3 rebounds per contest. He also averaged 1.3 blocks and 3.6 assists per game.
Castleton is a perfectly serviceable two-way player and it makes sense that the Lakers are interested in having him return. He’d be a useful piece to bring back next season and, even if he didn’t feature much last season, he’s good insurance if needed.
It’s unlikely he won’t return, either, if the Lakers tendered him a two-way offer. Perhaps another team could step in and complicate things, but he wasn’t some incredible two-way player last year and didn’t have a huge sample size in the G League, so it feels unlikely he gets pulled away by a big offer.
He’ll be a great player for the G League, a team that will likely have Bronny James and will definitely have the team’s new two-way signings. All in all, it makes sense to retain him, as it appears the Lakers are set to do.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.