ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania has confirmed that the Lakers are giving Arthur Kaluma, a six-foot-seven-inch-tall forward from the South Bay affiliate team, a two-way contract after an impressive run in the Summer League.
Through the 2026 Vegas Summer League, Arthur Kaluma averaged 18.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 61.0% from the field and 50.0% from the three-point line.
While the scouting reports were focused on stopping Cameron Carr, the Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old Kaluma used the opportunity to earn the highly deserved contract.
After spending last season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League and turning heads throughout the 2026 NBA Summer League, this move rewards one of the organization’s most consistent summer performers and gives Kaluma another opportunity to prove he belongs at the NBA level.
Going undrafted in 2025, Kaluma seemed to arrive in Vegas with a chip on his shoulder. He demonstrated the all-around skill that NBA teams look for in modern forwards rather than focusing on individual stats.
He had 34 points and five rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks in his breakthrough performance, showcasing his ability to score from all three levels and take advantage of transition opportunities. Kaluma shot 11-16 from the field (68.6 FG%) and 6-10 from the three-point line (60.0 3P%) in that game.
In his 2025-26 tenure with the South Bay Lakers, Kaluma averaged 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field and 36.4% from behind the three-point line.
More significantly, Kaluma’s consistency translated into winning basketball for the 2026 Summer League Lakers. Kaluma was one of the team’s most dependable scorers throughout the competition, but the Lakers made it to the Summer League semifinals thanks to the balanced efforts of a number of young players.
He continuously demonstrated the improved perimeter shooting, physicality, and defensive versatility that are now necessary qualities for forwards in the modern-day NBA.
Considering that the Lakers currently have four players on two-way deals, they will have to waive one of them before opening night. This news comes hours after the Lakers also signed Matisse Thybulle, a defensive forward, to their 16th standard contract on the roster.
Consequently, they will have to waive a player on both standard and two-way deals before the regular season begins. Hence, we anticipate more roster moves in the near future.
Therefore, collectively, the Lakers made roster additions tonight to improve on both ends of the floor through the season. But they are now in a perplexing position to decide which players to cut in both categories of contracts.
