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The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy making moves this offseason, including most recently signing free agent guard Marcus Smart after his buyout with the Washington Wizards. Smart joins Deandre Ayton as Lakers buyout market acquisitions that the team hopes will bolster its depth heading into the 2025-26 season.
Even after the signing of Ayton, the Lakers don't have a whole lot in the way of frontcourt depth, and recently, the team made a couple of moves that will hopefully give them some support in that department.
“The Los Angeles Lakers plan to sign 7-footer Christian Koloko and forward Chris Manon on two-way NBA contracts, sources tell ESPN,” reported ESPN's Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.
Charania noted that “Manon, undrafted out of Vanderbilt, played for the Warriors in California and Las Vegas summer leagues. Koloko played 37 games for L.A. last season.”
Meanwhile, the Lakers had to part ways with a familiar face in order to create roster space.
Koloko wasn't exactly a standout during his time for the Lakers but was solid enough for the team to want to bring him back on a two-way deal in hopes of bolstering their frontcourt rotation.
A big problem for the Lakers
During last year's playoff loss vs the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers' lack of playable frontcourt pieces was a glaring issue, so much so that during Game 4 of that series, Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick opted to play without a center for the entire second half of the contest.
Deandre Ayton hasn't necessarily lived up to his billing as the number one overall pick in a draft class that included Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but still figures to provide the Lakers with a definitive upgrade at the center position.
Meanwhile, there have been some rumblings about LeBron James' future with Los Angeles and whether or not there might be a trade on the horizon as the team focuses its attention on Luka Doncic, but nothing substantial has come out of those rumors up to this point.
In any case, the Lakers' 2025-26 season will begin in late October, with the full schedule set to be announced in August.
