With the start of the regular season just a week away, the Los Angeles Lakers still have not completely filled their roster.
With undrafted rookie Austin Reaves recently being elevated from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, the Lakers still have one two-way deal to hand out.
The organization brought in a number of young players to audition for that spot in training camp, with Chaundee Brown seeming to separate himself from the mix as the favorite to earn the job.
It appears the Lakers are actually going outside the organization to fill the two-way spot as Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that they are nearing a deal with former lottery pick Sekou Doumbouya:
The Lakers are progressing toward a two-way deal with free agent forward Sekou Doumbouya, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Doumbouya was the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 12, 2021
The Lakers officially announced the signing shortly after, confirming the report.
Doumbouya was drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Pistons two years ago and is still just 20 years of age, so the Lakers are hoping to unlock his potential, which hasn’t happened yet so far in his NBA career.
In 94 career games with the Pistons (30 starts), Doumbouya has averaged 5.6 points and 28 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from the field and just 25.4% from three.
The Pistons gave up on the experiment this offseason when they traded Doumbouya to the Brooklyn Nets in the deal that included DeAndre Jordan, who wound up finding his way to the Lakers.
Doumbouya’s stay in Brooklyn didn’t last long though as they traded him to the Houston Rockets last week, who waived him just a day later.
Lakers need help on wing
After already losing two key rotation players in Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker to injury, the Lakers could really use some help on the wing, which likely factored into the decision to sign Doumbouya.
At 6’8″, 235 lbs., Doumbouya could give the Lakers some defensive toughness on the wing even if he doesn’t bring any shooting to the table. As a two-way player though, Doumbouya will likely see a lot of playing time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers to continue to develop his game.
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