Overview
- The Lakers waived two-way forward AK Okereke and agreed to sign 7-foot center Lawson Lovering to a two-way contract, a move first reported Wednesday by multiple outlets citing Michael Scotto and Lovering’s agent.
- The roster change responds to an early-season shortfall at backup center after LA relied heavily on Walker Kessler and suffered clear rebounding and interior defense drops when he sat.
- Lovering has limited NBA experience — two games with the Memphis Grizzlies last season in which he averaged 7.0 points and 7.5 rebounds — and stronger production in the G League where he has shown rebounding and shot-blocking ability.
- As a two-way player Lovering is expected to be shuttled between the Lakers and the Coachella Valley Lakers G League team, giving LA a low-cost, development-minded option for immediate frontcourt depth.
- The reports are widely corroborated but some outlets noted the signing had not been listed as official at the time of publication, and the team will evaluate Lovering’s role before he sees regular NBA minutes.