The Lakers need to find defensive-minded players wherever possible, and they just ensured that one who is already familiar with the franchise will remain in Los Angeles.
On Friday night, the Lakers made the re-signing of Chris Mañon official, bringing the guard back on a two-way deal.
This move was expected, as the Lakers had reportedly tendered a qualifying offer to Mañon. Clearly, the Lakers liked what
they saw from Mañon when he was on a two-way contract last season.
Mañon didn’t play much as a two-way player, appearing in just nine regular-season games for the Lakers. However, he played a lot more with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
With South Bay, he played in 33 regular season games and started in 26 contests. He averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in the G League.
His defenisve play is what really stood out. Mañon is a great on-ball defender. He’s able to disrupt opponents and force turnovers. He registered 1.9 steals with South Bay, which was a team-high.
Thanks to his defensive play, Mañon was named to the 2025-26 NBA G League All-Defensive Team. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
With Mañon anchoring the perimeter defense, South Bay had a great year and was the top overall seed in the Western Conference with a 26-10 regular season record. They lost to the Stockton Kings in the Western Conference Finals.
Now, Mañon can continue splitting up his duties between South Bay and the main team, providing some backcourt help for the purple and gold.
The Lakers have had a ton of success with their two-way players. Jordan Goodwin and Scotty Pippen Jr. were both on two-way deals with the Lakers, and now each is on standard deals with other NBA teams.
With Mañon returning and AK Okereke and Peter Suder reportedly on two-way deals, the Lakers will have filled all three spots once they make the other additions official.
Mañon is participating in Summer League action with the Lakers, and so are Okereke and Suder.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
