The Los Angeles Lakers have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to guard Chris Manon, designating him a restricted free agent ahead of the 2026 offseason, league insider Keith Smith of Spotrac reported on June 28.
Manon, 23, joined the Lakers on a two-way contract before the 2025-26 campaign after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He appeared in nine NBA games but spent most of the year with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, where he established himself as a premier perimeter defender.
With South Bay, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals in regular-season play. His work on that end earned him a spot on the G League All-Defense Team and a runner-up finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Questions persist about Manon’s offense—he shot 32.0 percent from three-point range and 69.8 percent at the foul line—but Los Angeles values his defensive impact enough to keep him in the system. The qualifying offer carries the terms of another standard two-way deal and gives the Lakers the right to match any contract he may receive from another club.
Los Angeles already holds two of its three two-way slots, having recently signed undrafted rookies AK Okereke and Peter Suder. The team appears willing to keep the final opening available should Manon return; if an agreement is reached, he is expected to join the Lakers’ Summer League roster.
Source: Lakers Nation
