The Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of roster moves leading up to the start of training camp, but most of those moves have had G League implications rather than actual regular season roster moves. The Lakers still had one two-way contract spot open coming into camp, and they filled that slot on Monday with the signing of Nick Smith Jr., as per ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.
With the signing of Nick Smith Jr., the Lakers’ roster heading into training camp stands at 18 players on standard contracts/Exhibit 10 deals, and three players on two-way contracts. Smith joins Christian Koloko and Chris Mañon as the Lakers’ three designated two-way contract players.
Under a two-way contract, Smith is limited to only 50 NBA games and will not be eligible for the playoffs unless the Lakers convert his contract to a standard deal. Barring any early injuries, Smith will likely spend most of the 2025-26 season in the G League with South Bay Lakers.
The No. 27 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft, Smith was waived by the organization this offseason. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Hornets, and saw his role expand this past season.
In 2024-25, Smith appeared in 60 games for the Hornets, including 27 starts, at a little over 22 minutes per game. He averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists with splits of 39.1 percent shooting from the field, 34 percent shooting from the three-point line and 93.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Smith already has experience playing the G League having been assigned to the Greensboro Swarm, the affiliate of the Hornets, multiple times across the past two seasons. He’s played in a total of 15 G League games to this point, averaging 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists with splits of 42.4 percent shooting from the field, 38.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 81 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Lakers originally had plans to sign rookie big man Eric Dixon to a two-way contract, but they cut Dixon over the weekend after he was unable to participate in summer league. Now, the team gets to take a look at one a talented former first round pick who can potentially contribute in the future.
