The Los Angeles Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back as the travel across town to take on the LA Clippers, and they will be without multiple players including MVP candidate Luka Doncic who was diagnosed with back tightness. In perhaps a related move, the Lakers made a roster swap on Wednesday afternoon before the game, signing Lawson Lovering to a two-way contract and waiving rookie AK Okereke, as per Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.com.

The Lakers are coming off a 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a game in which their rebounding and defensive woes were exposed. Behind Walker Kessler, the Lakers have struggled to find consistent backup center minutes, leading up to the roster addition of Lawson Lovering on a two-way contract.

Lovering will be limited as far as the number of games he’s allowed to be active for, but he seemingly fills a major need. The Lakers have tried Sandro Mamukelashvili at small-ball center and have tried veteran big man Kevon Looney, but it’s been evident that one of their biggest needs at the moment is a true backup center.

Since JJ Redick has taken the helm as head coach, the Lakers have used their two-way contract players prevalently, and Lovering would appear to have an opportunity to contribute.

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The 23-year-old appeared in two games for the Memphis Grizzlies last season while on a 10-day contract, at a little over 24 minutes per game. He averaged 7.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 60 percent shooting from the field.

The former Colorado and Utah standout went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, and began his professional career with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.