Carson Cooper’s NBA path has already taken a turn, and it comes just weeks into his rookie season.
The former Michigan State center has been signed by the Los Angeles Lakers, moving on from Tennessee and landing with a new team on a two-way deal. That means Cooper will split time between the Lakers’ G-League affiliate and the active roster, the same arrangement he had with the Grizzlies before this move.
The timing made the news easy to miss. It came Tuesday night while Michigan State was in the middle of its top-five showdown with Duke in Chicago, and the Spartans’ “upset” of the No.
2 Blue Devils had plenty of attention on its own. Still, for Cooper, this is a significant step in a young NBA career that is already changing quickly.
Cooper, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound center from Jackson, Mich., made his NBA debut on Halloween. In just three minutes, he scored a point, grabbed two rebounds and added an assist, making an impression in very limited time.
Now the Lakers are bringing him in with a clear purpose. Los Angeles media has noted that Cooper is expected to help right away as a backup center option, and the team’s need at the position is part of why the move happened so fast.
The Lakers have had trouble getting quality center play behind Walker Kessler this season, and Kevon Looney has struggled. Cooper could step into the role Looney was expected to handle, and he may see early minutes because of that need.
It is not every day that a rookie on a two-way deal gets moved this early in the season, but the Lakers are looking for help. They liked Cooper’s potential, and they need him in a specific spot.
He may not have an immediate role, but the Lakers did not bring him in just to stash him in the G-League. Cooper is going to get his shot.
His Summer League play showed enough promise to earn the two-way deal with the Grizzlies in the first place, and the belief around him has always centered on more than just his current status. The challenge now is turning that into something bigger, proving he can be more than a “two-way deal player” and building toward a contract for next season and beyond.
Cooper will back up Kessler and Looney, and he replaces Lawson Lovering, who was waived to make room for the Spartan rookie.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo Sends A Clear Message After Michigan State Stuns Duke
Michigan States win over No. 2 Duke in the Champions Classic gave the Spartans an early-season jolt, and Tom Izzo made sure to frame it as more than just a headline result. With his team off to a 3-0 start, the veteran coach spent his postgame media session praising Dukes quality while also crediting his own group for the way it handled the moment, a reminder that this was the kind of November test he has long wanted for his program.
Izzo also touched on individual performances from across the roster, using the night as a snapshot of where Michigan State is and where it still needs to grow. He even nodded to the football teams recent win over Michigan, tying the moment into a bigger stretch of momentum around campus, while leaving the larger question hanging on how far this basketball team can carry that early confidence. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces One Early Test After Its Duke Statement
Michigan State gets right back to work at home after its statement win over Duke, and the early-season buzz around the Spartans has only grown with a 3-0 start and a No. 5 ranking. Northern Iowa arrives with a 2-1 record, giving Tom Izzos team another chance to show that the win over the Blue Devils was not just a one-night surge but part of a real early rhythm.
The matchup also offers a different kind of test, because Michigan State now has to handle the expectations that come with being ranked this high while still sorting out what kind of team it wants to be. Northern Iowa has already shown enough to suggest it can make things uncomfortable, so this is the sort of game that can reveal whether the Spartans are staying sharp or settling in after the Duke high. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has Real Stakes Again Against Washington
Beating Michigan changed the conversation around Michigan State in a hurry. After a season that had been drifting toward the finish line, the Spartans suddenly have something tangible to chase again, with a narrow path to bowl eligibility still alive if they can keep stacking wins. The turnaround in mood has been striking, and it gives the rest of the schedule a different kind of weight than it had just a week ago.
Washington is next, and it now carries real stakes for a team that had been fighting mostly for pride. Michigan State sits at 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten, but the door remains cracked open in a way that seemed unlikely before the win over Michigan. Pat Fitzgeralds group has shown enough resilience to make the final stretch matter, and the possibility of a bowl game, even in an unusual scenario, is enough to keep the Spartans from treating any of these games like a formality. [Read more 🡒]