The Lakers have finally made a calculated move. Rob Pelinka and his staff signed sharp shooter Quincy Olivari to an Exhibit-10 contract. After finishing as the 7th seed in the Western Conference last season, the LA side needed someone to climb up the pecking order and take the lead. Well, they have sought the help of the 23-year-old, who has proved to be an asset in college basketball. You’ll be wondering who’s this new name on this Lakers roster. And even if they had him in mind, why did they not sign him earlier?

Who is Quincy Olivari, the 3-point record holder?

Quincy Andrew Olivari, the 23-year-old guard, was born to Gerald and Courtney Olivari on May 27, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia. While studying at Westlake High School, he made his mark as a senior, averaging a healthy 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. His efforts to become a pivotal figure started from then itself. He ensured Westlake a berth at the Regional Finals in 2017. However, as he moved to Rice University as a freshman, he took college basketball by storm, leading the team’s stat line for long rangers at 38% and scoring in double figures in 6 games! If you thought that was his ceiling, you are mistaken.

In his Sophomore Year, he made it to the Third Team All-Conference USA and led his college team to the 8th seed in Conference USA, averaging more than 16 points and leading the league with a 40.9% accuracy from three! He had 20 double-figure scoring games with a game-high score of 23 points and 9 rebounds in the second round of the C-USA Tournament. In his Junior year, he earned the Preseason All-Conference USA honoree. However, the senior year was most promising for Quincy Olivari.

Some of the prominent accolades from his senior year included the 2022-23 All-Conference USA Second Team, Conference USA All-Academic Team, NABC Second Team All-District, and Two-time Conference USA Player of the Week.

As the end of his stint at Rice approached, his career was already at 1,487 career points (10th on the University’s all-time list) in 4 seasons, and he broke the school record with 252 career 3-pointers.

While playing for Xavier, he scored 10 rebounds and seven 3-pointers to record a career-high 43 points in a game against DePaul. It was ‘the best performance’ from a Big East player. But the record-shattering stats piled up, as he broke the three-point single-season record (106 3-pointers in 34 games), ruling out Trevon Bluiett’s record (105 in 35 games, 2017-18). Last year, the league coaches voted him for Big East Honorable Mention as he put an end to Villanova’s 24-straight free throw streak on February 7.

At the end of his stint at Xavier, he finished with a little over 19 points alongside 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, gaining the attention of the NBA scouts. Responding to the market interest, Olivari was in the 2024 NBA Draft, yet the Lakers chose to sign him in mid-August. But why?

Quincy Olivari’s Exhibit-10 deal and the Lakers’ reason for that

The Exhibit 10 deal that the Lakers have signed Quincy to is a test for the guard. As per the new CBA rules, the Exhibit-10 contract is a 1-year minimum salary that isn’t guaranteed. It can also include an optional bonus of up to $75K that can be rewarded if a player, after he’s waived, spends at least 60 days with a team’s G League affiliate. Notably, these contracts do not count in the salary cap. That’s why it makes them suitable to let the athletes compete for permanent or at least a two-way contract before the season.

So, it might be a test to check the 40.9% three-point shooting that Quincy Olivari did last season. But what took them so long? The Lakers Nation insider Trevor Lane explained the equation here. “Right now, for offseason terms, the Lakers have 18 players out of 20 potential slots. Now again, the 15 [permanent slots] are still important because teams don’t want 18 or 19 guaranteed contracts on the books. Because then you have to figure out something to do with those guaranteed contracts prior to the start of the season.”

So, speculatively, Trevor stated, “In June, you [Lakers] said, Quincy, you’re good. We’re gonna sign you to this deal, but just sit tight for a little bit, and that way, should a trade happen to come along that requires the Lakers to take back some extra players. They have the roster spots available to potentially do that.”

Overall, it was a move to enable flexibility for JJ Redick and his vision. Since the teams can only move ahead with 15 players in the regular season, they couldn’t sign Quincy Olivari on a permanent contract. But can he get a spot in the future? Do let us know.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.