Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are signing forward Arthur Kaluma to a two-way NBA contract, a move confirmed by his agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta of Life Sports Agency. The deal gives the Lakers another developmental body who has already logged time in their system — Kaluma spent the 2025-26 season in the Lakers’ G League program.
What got him the call-up was his work in Las Vegas. Kaluma averaged nearly 19 points per game during Summer League play, shooting 61% from the field and 50% from three-point range. Those are the kind of numbers that make a front office stop scrolling and pick up the phone, even if Summer League production is the basketball equivalent of a nice spring training — you take it seriously enough to look closer, not seriously enough to carve a statue.
A two-way contract allows Kaluma to split time between the Lakers and their G League affiliate. He can be active for up to 50 NBA games in a given season under the current collective bargaining agreement, spending the rest of his time in the developmental system. For a player who has already been embedded in the Lakers’ G League pipeline, the transition is less of a leap and more of a step up the same staircase.
The Lakers’ roster situation heading into the season will determine how much opportunity Kaluma actually gets. Two-way players are depth pieces — insurance policies who practice with the big club and suit up when injuries or rotations demand it. Some find a foothold and parlay it into a standard contract. Most shuttle back and forth, waiting for the next opening.
Kaluma’s shooting efficiency in Las Vegas is the headline number, and it matters because the modern NBA demands floor spacing from every position. A forward who can hit half his threes and finish inside at a 61% clip fits the schematic checklist every team is running through these days. Whether that translates against regular-season defense is the question that separates two-way deals from guaranteed ones.
The Lakers have been active in rounding out their developmental ranks, and Kaluma represents a low-cost investment in a player already familiar with the organization’s infrastructure. Life Sports Agency, which represents Kaluma, has built a stable of NBA and international clients under Ramasar and Simonetta.
For Kaluma, the two-way deal is a foot in the door — not a guarantee, but a credential. The kind of contract that says an organization liked what it saw enough to keep you around, and now the rest is on you to prove the Summer League tape wasn’t a mirage.