Lakers Act Fast to Sign Undrafted Forward After Busy Draft Night

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't use their second-round pick, but they wasted little time adding a prospect who clearly caught their attention.

Sep 25, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, left, speaks during a press conference to preview the 2025-26 season at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have been incredibly aggressive during the 2026 NBA Draft, as they made a trade in the first round in order to move up to select guard Cameron Carr, and ahead of the second round, they acquired the No. 56 overall pick for cash from the Chicago Bulls.

However, the second-round pick didn’t amount to much, as they eventually traded the No. 56 overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks for cash, which might be a move that gets more detail later.

Lakers Sign Forward AK Okereke to Two-Way Deal

Mar 21, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Ak Okereke (10) drives to the hoop past Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager (5) during the second half of a second-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Once the NBA Draft officially came to an end without the Lakers bringing in another rookie, the team quickly signed Vanderbilt product AK Okereke to a two-way contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Undrafted Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026

Okereke spent three years at Cornell before transferring to Vanderbilt for his senior season, where he saw more minutes on the basketball floor, but also saw some of his numbers dip.

The California native averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 59.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc in his junior year at Cornell. 

Then, Okereke averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in his lone season at Vanderbilt, but did develop more of a three-point shot at 40 percent for the 2025-26 campaign.

Regardless of his college averages, Okereke did do something to pique the Lakers’ interest, as he was the first undrafted player to agree to a two-way deal with an NBA team.

Lakers' Next Move Needs Remains Uncertain

With the NBA Draft in the rearview and Austin Reaves now having agreed to sign a lucrative long-term deal with the Lakers, the attention turns to LeBron James' immediate future with the storied franchise and what the team intends to do in NBA free agency, which gets underway on June 29.

Although James' pending decision will dominate the headlines until he decides what to do, the Lakers have plenty of players on the current roster that they can negotiate with right now, most notably unrestricted free agents Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes.

Veterans Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton also have a decision to make, as they both have a player option on their deals for next season. They'll have until June 29 to decide whether to opt in or opt out.

It'll be interesting to see if things escalte moving forward for the Lakers, with the clock ticking on the deadline for these players and the start of free agency being right around the corner.

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