Drew Timme spent years proving he could dominate college basketball at Gonzaga. Last season, he finally began proving he could help an NBA team, too.
What came next has been less certain.
The former Gonzaga Bulldogs star remains unsigned in August after finishing the 2025-26 season on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA currently lists Timme among its two-way free agents, leaving the 25-year-old without a confirmed home for the coming season.
That status is notable because Timme enters this offseason with considerably more NBA evidence than he had a year ago.
He didn’t merely put up numbers in the developmental league. He played himself into opportunities with one of the NBA’s highest-profile teams.
Drew Timme Gave Lakers Something to Think About
Timme continued doing what he has done almost everywhere since leaving Gonzaga: produce offensively.
The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 23.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the G League during the 2025-26 season while shooting 56.3% from the field.
His NBA role was much smaller, but it became more than ceremonial.
Timme averaged 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his NBA appearances while shooting 49.4% from the floor, according to ESPN. At different points, Lakers head coach JJ Redick trusted him with meaningful rotation minutes rather than restricting him to the end of decided games.
That made an impression.
In its season review, Lakers site Silver Screen and Roll wrote that Timme âbriefly became a rotation playerâ and had a case to receive the team’s final standard contract late in the season.
He didn’t get it.
And as the calendar moves deeper into the offseason, that has become the most interesting part of Timme’s professional story.
Why Timme’s NBA Future Is Still Complicated
Timme’s production has rarely been the problem.
His challenge since going undrafted in 2023 has been showing NBA teams exactly where he fits.
Timme built his Gonzaga career around footwork, touch, post scoring and feel for the game. His passing has also translated to the professional level; averaging five assists per game from the frontcourt in the G League last season was another reminder that his offense extends beyond scoring.
NBA roster construction, however, can be unforgiving for players between traditional positions.
Teams generally ask non-star big men to provide at least one easily identifiable skill that fits almost any lineup â rim protection, switchable defense, vertical spacing or high-volume outside shooting. Timme’s game is more unconventional, which can make him useful when a coach builds possessions around his strengths but harder to slot into a limited bench role.
That distinction may help explain why strong production has not yet produced a secure NBA contract.
It also explains why last season mattered.
Timme wasn’t simply putting up huge numbers against G League competition anymore. He showed the Lakers that his instincts and offensive skill could survive stretches against NBA players.
Timme’s Next Opportunity Could Determine His NBA Path
There is still time for Timme’s situation to change before training camps open.
The NBA’s free-agent tracker identifies him among the players coming off two-way contracts, a group whose options can remain unsettled well after the biggest names leave the market.
For Timme, the next contract may matter more than the size of the deal.
Another two-way opportunity would keep him within reach of an NBA rotation. A training-camp contract could give him a chance to win a standard roster spot. And after consecutive seasons of high-end G League production, he has little left to demonstrate at that level as a scorer.
The unanswered question is whether an NBA team believes his game can fill a consistent role.
Gonzaga fans already know what Timme looks like when a team gives him that responsibility.
After last season, NBA teams have more evidence than ever, too.
Now Timme is waiting to find out whether that was enough.
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