The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2026 NBA Draft with only one pick at No. 25 in the first round. But they managed to grab a second round pick at No. 56, but when they were unable to move up and their reported target gone, they traded the pick to the Dallas Mavericks. But the Lakers didn’t leave the second round of the NBA Draft empty-handed, agreeing to a two-way contract with AK Okereke, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Lakers have had success with two-way contract signees in recent years, including Austin Reaves who just agreed to terms on a max contract with the team. Some of the other notable NBA success stories who began their careers on two-way’s with the Lakers include Alex Caruso, Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. Both Nick Smith Jr. and Drew Timme provided key minutes for the team this past season.
Head coach JJ Redick has used his two-way contract players quite frequently, so it will be interesting to see what the plans are for AK Okereke in 2026-27. The undrafted forward played a full four seasons of college basketball, with three years at Cornell before entering the transfer portal and finishing up with one year at Vanderbilt.
Okereke appeared in 36 games, including 35 starts, at a little over 26 minutes per game during his lone year with the Commodores. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists with splits of 48.1 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
As a condition of his two-way contract, Okereke will most likely spend the majority of his rookie season with the Lakers playing for their Coachella Valley G League affiliate. He will be limited to only 50 NBA games and ineligible for the playoffs unless his contract is converted to a standard deal.
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