Lakers Signing Center, Ex-Warriors Forward in Free Agency

Dec 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at center court at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to bolster their roster as the offseason continues.

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According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers are signing Christian Koloko and forward Chris Manon on two-way NBA contracts.

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to sign 7-footer Christian Koloko and forward Chris Manon on two-way NBA contracts, sources tell ESPN. 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.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2025

Koloko spent all of last season with the Lakers, playing in 37 games.

The 25-year-old signed with the Lakers last offseason to a two-way contract. At the time, he was not medically cleared by the NBA due to a blood clot issue.

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Ultimately, he was cleared to play and had some solid moments for the Lakers last season. In his 37 appearances for the Lakers, he averaged 2.4 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.4 blocks in 9.2 minutes of action. He started in zero games for the purple and gold.

The Lakers have been impressed with Koloko’s recent strides. He’s shown real growth both on and off the court, and if his development continues on this trajectory, he could become a key piece for L.A. at the center spot — an area the team still needs to shore up in a big way.

As for Manon, he spent the last four seasons of his basketball career playing for Cornell Big Red and the Vanderbilt Commodores. The rookie forward recently played for the Golden State Warriors Summer League squad.

In his last appearance with the Warriors, Manon recorded 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, five rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocks in 23 minutes of action.

In his last season at Vanderbilt, Manon averaged 6.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 53.3 percent from the field in 33 games and 18.2 minutes of action.

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