The Los Angeles Lakers are bringing back a familiar face and stole an unpolished gem from a Western Conference rival for their two-way slots.
According to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania, the Lakers plan to sign 7-footer Christian Koloko and forward Chris Manon on two-way NBA contracts, citing league sources.
Koloko successfully returned to the NBA after a blood clot issue last season. He played 37 games while on a two-way contract, averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.2 minutes off the bench.
Getty Christian Koloko of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half of a 2025 NBA Summer League game.
Charania added Koloko’s return is “a continuation of the Lakers’ development plan” with the Cameroonian center, who had other interested teams as well.”
Koloko, Manon Shine in NBA Summer League
Koloko was a monster on the defensive end for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League. He averaged 2.6 blocks and 1.2 steals while adding 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.5 minutes per game. The skinny big man shot 57.7% from the field.
On the other hand, the 6-foot-5 Manon played for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League, posting 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 50% from the floor through five games in Las Vegas.
Getty Chris Manon who shined for the Golden State Warriors drives against Cameron McGriff of the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA Summer League. Manon joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-way contract.
The undrafted Manon out of Vanderbilt is a versatile wing who is tenacious on defense, as he displayed four seasons in college that translated well in the NBA Summer League.
The Lakers have suddenly become a deep team with the addition of Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia this offseason and the return of Jaxson Hayes, leaving no rotation spot open for both Koloko and Manon.
Both two-way players will spend most of their time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. But Koloko will be counted on in games when one of the Lakers’ centers is not available.
Players on a two-way contract are allowed to be on the active roster for a maximum of 50 of the 82 regular-season games.
Lakers Are Getting a ‘Sleeker’ Marcus Smart
The Lakers’ pickup of Smart from the buyout market has been a major coup for the franchise with championship aspirations. But there were also concerns about his recent injury history that only limited him to 54 games over the last two seasons.
NBA insider Marc Stein allayed those fears as he reported that a “sleeker” Smart is joining the Lakers.
“I’m likewise told that Smart (like Luka Dončić) has been working hard on his body this summer. Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season, but the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the 2021-22 DPOY,” Stein wrote on his Substack newsletter “The Stein Line” on July 20.
If healthy, Smart has a great chance to land on the Lakers’ starting unit to provide point-of-attack defense after they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. He could also be their Sixth Man.
Dončić played a key role in Smart joining the Lakers amid strong interest from rival teams.
“I’m told that the recent Dončić pitch, once Washington granted the 31-year-old and his agent Jason Glushon permission to talk to other teams in search of a post-buyout landing spot, particularly resonated with Smart and helped lead the former Defensive Player of the Year to choose the Lakers over a determined push by the Suns to land the former Celtic,” Stein wrote.
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