Villanova in the Pros: Eric Dixon’s Summer League Competition

After falling out of the 2025 NBA Draft, Villanova Men’s Basketball alumnus and all-time leading scorer Eric Dixon signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Allowing the team to move him between the NBA team and their G-League affiliate, Dixon’s two-way contract gives him a chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues, but it might take him some time. Fellow Wildcats alumnus Collin Gillespie spent his first three seasons on a two-way deal, depending much of it in the G-League, before signing his first full NBA contract with the Suns this offseason. Here’s a look at the state of the Lakers’ summer league roster, including the type of competition Eric Dixon will face as he tries to lock down a roster spot.

Of the 15 players listed on Los Angeles’ summer roster beyond Dixon, just five play forward. At first glance, that might make it sound like Dixon faces an easier competition in his bid for an NBA roster spot, but in reality it speaks to the talent distribution on the Lakers roster.

Of the 18 players on their NBA roster, the Lakers list 13 at center or forward. As such, they need to spend more time figuring out which guards would best maximize the talent on their roster: for all his talent, Dixon won’t challenge LeBron James’ or Luka Dončić’s place in the NBA.

That said, all of Dixon’s summer league competition at forward holds a non-guaranteed tryout contract. His two-way deal indicates a greater level of urgency from the team in bringing him into the fold.

Forwards on the summer league roster include Darius Bazley, Arthur Kaluma, Sam Mennenga, Julian Reese and Cole Swider.

Eric Dixon’s Competition

Bazley, a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, started 108 games for Oklahoma City between 2020 and 2022 before washing out of the NBA. He earned G-League Second Team and All-Defensive Team honors in 2024, but spent last season on the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangdong Southern Tigers before they waived him from the roster in November. At 25, Bazley has time to resurrect his career, but is trending in the wrong direction.

Kaluma signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Lakers, a step down from Dixon’s two-way deal. Exhibit 10 contracts aren’t guaranteed, but teams can convert them into two-way contracts if they are adequately impressed with a player’s performance. As such, Kaluma, a rookie who averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game with Texas last season, faces a steep climb to even make the Lakers’ G-League roster.

Mennenga, who spent three seasons at Davidson, began his professional career in Australia before going undrafted in 2024. Bouncing around between professional leagues in his native New Zealand, Greece and Puerto Rico, Mennanga eventually earned a summer league audition with the Lakers. Once again, that represents a step down from Dixon’s two-way deal.

Reese, the brother of Chicago Sky firebrand Angel Reese, is a punishing 6-foot-10, 252 pound forward who played for the Maryland Terrapins, serving as part of a devastating 1-2 punch alongside Derik Queen last season. Even with a low-level contract, Reese’s college performance makes him look like a dark horse competitor.

Rounding out the list, Swider played as a reserve at Villanova from 2018 to 2021 before spending his last college season at Syracuse. Undrafted in 2022, he’s appeared in 35 NBA games across three seasons, averaging 8.5 minutes per night before earning a summer league bid from the Lakers.