Lakers cut Sekou Doumbouya, sign Chaundee Brown to two-way contract

In a slightly surprising move on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers cut Sekou Doumbouya from his two-way contract, and are replacing him with undrafted rookie Chaundee Brown, the team announced on Tuesday night.

Even beyond the injury, it’s not hard to guess at the reasons for the timing of this move. Not only is Doumbouya a power forward on a Lakers team that needs wing depth, but Brown also showed out in his G League debut. As the Lakers’ press release announcing the move noted, “in one game with the South Bay Lakers this season, Brown Jr. tallied 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.”

With this signing, the Lakers once again have a completely full roster, including both two-ways spots being filled. Brown replaces Doumbouya — who only lasted a little over a month on his two-way deal — on the team’s second (and final) two-way contract, which means he will split time between the parent team and their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, along with fellow two-way player Jay Huff.

Brown, a 6’5 immovable fire hydrant of a defender, originally agreed to terms on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers on draft night after going unselected in the 2020 class, despite being ranked as the 60th-best prospect by ESPN in a 60-player draft. The 22-year old then joined the team for Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 8 points on 48.5% shooting over five games.

Brown then joined the Lakers in training camp, where it’s fair to say he was living the dream:

Way back in October, during camp, head coach Frank Vogel even admitted after the team’s second game that Brown was “making a case” to earn a two-way deal with an impressive preseason run that saw him scored 38 points in just over 60 total minutes, shooting 14-30 overall and 5-11 from three while flashing wing stopper potential on defense.

“He’s performing well. Obviously the perimeter shooting and the defensive physical toughness are how you have success in this league, so he’s off to a good start for us,” Vogel said. “He’s tough. He has the mindset of blowing up screens and being really physical on the glass. So he’s done a good job for us in camp and, like I said, you’ve got a guy that can shoot the ball from the perimeter and make plays off the bounce, and then compete at a high level on the defensive end, you’ve got a chance.”

That chance will now come with the Lakers. We’ll see if Brown can make the most of it as the season continues.

This developing story may be updated with more information. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.