Lakers finalizing two-way contract with NCAA legend

The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling this season, and things got even better when they got LeBron James back earlier in the week. They’re at full strength now, but they’re looking to add even more talent to the roster after this latest move was announced, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

“The Lakers are in the process of finalizing a two-way contract with Drew Timme, league sources told ClutchPoints. LA won’t be cutting Nick Smith Jr., so they will need to waive either Christian Koloko or Chris Manon to sign Timme,” Siegel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Timme has been playing with the NBA G League South Bay Lakers and recently earned player of the week honors. He led the South Bay Lakers to a 3-0 start to the year while averaging 30 points, seven rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. He played with the Brooklyn Nets last season, and across nine games, he averaged 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28 minutes. He was then waived by the Nets in October, and that’s when the South Bay Lakers picked him up.

Timme is mostly known for his collegiate career at Gonzaga, where he won two West Coast Conference (WCC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year awards in 2022 and 2023, and the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award in 2023.

In just a short amount of time, Timme has shown that he can be a big contributor, and the Lakers may need him at times this season. It will be interesting to see who the Lakers decide to waive between Koloko and Manon, and it might be whichever position they feel like they have enough depth in. 

The Lakers have just about everything they need, and if everybody continues to play well, it would not be a surprise to see them stay near the top of the Western Conference standings.