Former Golden State Warriors guard Lester Quinoes has provided a timely reminder that he's still available as a free agent, exploding for 30 points in the Orlando Magic's summer league victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Quinones, who hasn't played in an NBA game since April last year, is still looking for his next opportunity in the league after playing 41 games across two seasons with the Warriors.
Lester Quinones delivers reminder of his scoring talent
Quinones dropped 30 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range against the Trail Blazers, including making five free-throws in overtime to seal a thrilling 112-105 win.
It comes on the back of another efficient performance on Saturday against the Miami Heat where Quinones had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, with the 25-year-old trying to make the most of his opportunity back on the NBA stage.
The 6'5" guard always displayed scoring talent while at the Warriors, particularly as a 3-point shooter after he enter the league shooting 40% and 39% in his last two seasons of his three-year career at the Memphis Tigers.
That translated to shooting 37% from beyond the arc in his time with the Warriors, but even some rotation minutes during his second year in 2023-24 wasn't enough for the front office to prove willing to keep him around beyond that.
Quinones went onto play 13 games with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans during his third year, but hasn't got a fourth season after being waived by the Magic following a training camp contract last year.
Magic urged to sign Lester Quinones after summer league performance
Quinones is still eligible for a two-way contract and could be moving towards that with more strong summer league performances, with Phillip Rossman-Reich already urging the Magic to lock him up in the wake of Sunday's 30-point outing.
"If this is what Lester Quinones is doing when pushed into the spotlight with both Jase Richardson and Noah Penda sitting out the second night of the back-to-back, it is hard to ignore what he could bring as a potential two-way player or to fill that last roster spot," Rossman-Reich wrote.
If it isn't enough for Orlando to solidify Quinones spot on the roster, a rival team could well come calling if they're in need of a dynamic scoring guard who can heat up from beyond the arc.
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