The Lakers roster cut deadline is closing in. The Los Angeles Lakers have 16 players on guaranteed standard contracts and have to get down to 15 by the NBA’s roster deadline on Monday, October 19, at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT). CBS Sports and Lakers Daily both report the count. On Wednesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers are among the teams “exploring trades.” Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy are the names most often mentioned in the coverage.
The Lakers have one preseason game left, Friday against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Our Lakers vs Warriors recap covered Tuesday’s 101-89 loss in Las Vegas. This piece looks at the roster decision coming next.
Lakers Roster Cut: The Math
NBA teams can carry 15 players on standard contracts in the regular season, plus up to three on two-way deals. The Lakers have 16 standard contracts, so one of three things has to happen by Monday:
- A consolidation trade. Rob Pelinka described this option at his September 24 media availability. “There’s also consolidation trades that can still be looked at, trading two guys out, bringing one in,” he said, per Lakers Daily.
- A waiver. The Lakers release a player. Lakers Daily points out that under the NBA’s collective bargaining rules, the guaranteed salary of a waived player still counts on the team’s books, so a cut does not save money.
- A one-for-one trade plus another move. Lakers Daily notes that a straight one-for-one swap would leave the Lakers at 16, so they would still need a second move.
A G League assignment does not solve the problem. Lakers Daily notes that a standard-contract player sent to the G League still counts on the NBA roster.
What Fischer Reported
Fischer’s post on Wednesday, quoted by both Lakers Daily and Lakers Wire, was short. “The Clippers waiving Cam Christie leaves Charlotte, Milwaukee, Memphis and the Lakers as the most pertinent back-of-roster situations NBA personnel are monitoring before Oct. 19,” he wrote. “Have heard the Bucks, Lakers and Grizzlies all exploring trades.”
That is all he reported. As Lakers Daily notes, Fischer did not name a target or an outgoing player, and he did not say a deal is close. Lakers Wire’s Robert Marvi expects any trade to be minor, possibly bringing back a backup center. That is his opinion, not a report.
The Three Names
Bronny James. Redick was candid after Tuesday’s game. “I thought he had a really nice September and a good summer with us, but I don’t think he’s played well in the four preseason games, but he’s had good practices,” he said, per CBS Sports. “Again, some of it is just rhythm, some of it is who he’s playing with. He’s played a lot of minutes, especially in the second half of games with our two-way guys. Tonight he played with Rafael (Castro), who has been with us for three days.”
CBS Sports reports that James has 11 points and 12 turnovers combined over four preseason games. On Tuesday he was scoreless in 11 minutes with four turnovers and was minus-18, per the ESPN box score. His $2.29 million salary for 2026-27 is fully guaranteed, according to CBS Sports. Last season he played 42 regular-season games and shot 38.6% from three on 1.4 attempts per game, and he played in the first round of the playoffs against Houston.
Infanity TV’s latest upload shows James working on his catch-and-shoot game at practice:
Dalton Knecht. On October 1, Khobi Price of The California Post reported that several executives with other teams expected Knecht to be the player left out. Lakers Daily is careful to note that was an outside opinion, not a team decision. Redick has praised his approach: “I know he’s hungry to play and hungry to earn a spot in the rotation.” Knecht went 0-of-2 in six minutes on Tuesday.
Jaden Hardy. Lakers Wire lists Hardy with Knecht and James as candidates to be traded or released. He scored 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting with three turnovers in Las Vegas.
Why the Wing Group Matters
The roster crunch is mostly on the wing. Price lists Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr as competition for those minutes, and Jake LaRavia has had a strong preseason. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves set in the backcourt and Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili up front, the 15th spot is most likely to come from the guards or wings.
Redick also wants better rebounding, and that could shape the decision. “We’ve got to do a better job of rebounding in general, whether he’s on the floor or not,” he said about Kessler after Tuesday’s game, per Lakers Daily. A backup big, which Marvi suggests, would address that.
The backup point guard spot is the other open question. Lakers Daily reports that Redick talked about how hard it has been to organize the offense in minutes without Reaves and Doncic while Sexton has been out. Tuesday showed it: 18 of the Lakers’ 29 turnovers came in the second half, per ESPN, when the backup guards were on the floor. If Sexton returns healthy, that problem mostly goes away. If he doesn’t, keeping a ball-handler becomes more important when the Lakers choose who to cut.
Injuries Before Friday
Before Tuesday’s game, Redick said Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr were out and day-to-day. Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via HoopsHype) and Price both reported that. Doncic rested with “no injury.” Whether any of them play Friday has not been announced.
Source Notes
- CBS Sports’ story says the Las Vegas game was on “Wednesday.” It was played Tuesday, October 13.
- Coverage describes the cut as “at least one spot.” The Lakers could make more moves, but none have been reported.
What to Watch
- Friday vs Denver: who gets minutes in the last audition, especially James, Knecht and Hardy.
- Monday at 2 p.m. PT: the roster deadline.
- October 21: the regular-season opener at home against the Golden State Warriors.
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