The Los Angeles Lakers moved one two-way spot today, waiving Ak Okereke and signing Lawson Lovering to fill it. Okereke’s short run with the team ended just months after he arrived as an undrafted player from the 2026 NBA Draft.
That is the sort of roster move that can disappear in a day, but it matters because the Lakers have only so many two-way slots to use and they chose Lovering for one of them. Okereke, who averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 36 games at Vanderbilt while shooting 40.0% from three-point range, loses his place before he had time to turn that college production into a longer NBA stay.
Lovering gives the Lakers a 7-foot center with a little NBA mileage already behind him. The 23-year-old played two games for the Memphis Grizzlies last season, averaging 7.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.5 minutes while shooting 60.0% from the field. He also had an 11-point, 11-rebound, three-assist game in 32 minutes against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 20, after spending most of the season with the Memphis Hustle and then getting a 10-day contract in February.
His path has already moved quickly. Lovering went undrafted in 2025 after a four-year college career split between Colorado and Utah, returned to Memphis on an Exhibit 10 deal before the 2026-27 season and was then waived in late September when the Memphis Grizzlies signed Carson Cooper to a two-way contract. Now he lands with the Lakers, who already have Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney on the roster, giving the club another size option while also squeezing one more player off the edge of the lineup.
The sharpest question is not why the Lakers made room, but whether Okereke gets another shot soon. A two-way contract can turn over fast, and this one did; for now, the open door belongs to Lovering, while Okereke is back to waiting for the next team that sees a place for him.
