Robbie Avila Could Take Unexpected Path After Limited Opportunity With Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers had a pretty successful stint at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, coming one win short of reaching the championship game.

Despite falling to the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Lakers put on a show, winning four of the five games they played in Las Vegas, with Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero and Arthur Kaluma turning a lot of heads during the tournament.

Unfortunately, not every player who suited up for the Lakers made an impression during the Summer League.

Robbie Avila Considering Return to College After Summer League Stint With Lakers

One player in the Summer League who made a lot of noise, more for his many nicknames rather than his play on the floor, was big man Robbie Avila, aka Cream Abdul-Jabbar.

Avila played only two minutes in one game during the NBA Summer League, as he simply couldn’t get on the floor for the Lakers, and now he’s considering going back to college, according to Adam Zagoria of NYT Sports.

Former Saint Louis big man Robbie Avila, known as 'Cream Abdul Jabbar, is waiting to see what his options are after he was granted a 5th year, per sources

Portal opens Aug. 3-10

The 6-10 F averaged 12.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg before signing an Exhibit-10 with the L.A. Lakers. pic.twitter.com/LlPq4WVDaU
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 1, 2026

The 22-year-old also played in one game during the California Classic for the Lakers, seeing much more time on the floor at around 14 minutes. He shot a brutal 16.7 percent from the floor in that game, which might be part of the reason why he was sidelined in Las Vegas.

Clearly, Avila isn’t ready for the next level of basketball, which could lead him to return to college to try to polish his game for one more year. There’s always a chance he gets a shot in the G League, but if not, returning to college for a fifth year makes sense.

Peter Suder Waived in Favor of Arthur Kaluma

Along with Avila facing an uncertain future, sharpshooter Peter Suder struggled to make an impact in the Summer League after signing a two-way contract with the Lakers and was waived by the team.

With Arthur Kaluma having a breakout performance during his time in Las Vegas, the writing was on the wall that he’d get a two-way deal if the Lakers chose to part ways with Suder, who didn’t even get on the floor against the Warriors in the semifinals.

Kaluma joins AK Okereke and Chris Manon as players with two-way contracts for Los Angeles ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Lakers Still Looking to Make Moves

Although NBA free agency has slowed down considerably and the Lakers have 16 guaranteed contracts on the roster right now, the storied franchise isn’t done making moves, as they need to get down to 15 players before opening night.

The team is also continuing to express interest in landing Jonathan Kuminga and is reportedly looking for another big man to add to the roster behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney.

With the 2026-27 NBA season not set to get underway until late October, the Lakers have some time to figure out what they want to do to put the finishing touches on their roster.

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