Lakers bring back Christian Koloko, sign Chris Manon with 2-way deals

The Lakers will use their pair of vacant two-way roster spots to bring back a familiar face and sign a collegiate defensive standout.

Seven-foot big man Christian Koloko and 6-foot-5 guard/forward Chris Manon will sign two-way NBA contracts with the Lakers, ESPN first reported on Monday.

Koloko originally joined the Lakers on a two-way deal last September, averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 37 games (9.2 minutes per game).

He was a restricted free agent after the Lakers tendered him a two-way qualifying offer last month. Koloko also played 12 games for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League affiliate, averaging 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots in 29.6 minutes.

The Lakers are hoping to further develop and unlock the untapped potential of Koloko, who has a 7-foot-5 wingspan.

The No. 33 pick in the 2022 draft and a Sierra Canyon High alum, the 25-year-old Koloko started his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and a blocked shot in 13.8 minutes per game (58 games, 19 starts) in 2022-23.

After Koloko didn’t play in the 2023 summer league or the start of the 2023-24 season for Toronto, the Raptors waived him on Jan. 17, 2024, in order to complete the blockbuster trade that sent former franchise cornerstone Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers as part of a three-team deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. It was later revealed that Koloko was referred to the league’s Fitness-to-Play Panel because of blood clot issues, making him ineligible to play or practice in the NBA before he was cleared last October.

Koloko played for the Lakers’ summer league team in Las Vegas, averaging 7.2 points, 4 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots in 17.5 minutes (five games).

Manon played for the Golden State Warriors’ summer league team after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt.

He averaged 9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocked shots in 17.1 minutes across seven games at the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.

A disruptive defensive playmaker, Manon started his collegiate career at Cornell, leading the Ivy League in steal percentage in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before transferring to Vanderbilt. He was also top-10 in block percentage back-to-back years among Ivy League players before joining the Commodores. Manon averaged 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and a blocked shot in 18.2 minutes (33 games) during his lone season at Vanderbilt.

Koloko and Manon will join Trey Jemison as the Lakers’ three players signed to two-way contracts.

The Lakers agreed to terms with former Villanova star Eric Dixon on a two-way deal, but he didn’t play in summer league because of a foot injury and didn’t officially join the franchise, leaving the pair of two-way spots open for Koloko and Manon.