The Lakers may have revamped the roster, but the front office still sounds like it’s not finished cleaning things up.
Los Angeles has already turned over a big chunk of the supporting cast around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, bringing in Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashveli, Kevon Looney, Quentin Grimes, and Matisse Thybulle among others. That overhaul came after LeBron James departed Los Angeles following eight seasons to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Even with all that movement, the Lakers are still exploring ways to adjust the roster. NBA insider Brett Siegel said on a new episode of Clutch Scoops with Tomer Azarly that the team is still trying to find a path with Jarred Vanderbilt and is also looking at moving Dalton Knecht.
“They're at 16 players on their active roster. And I've been told that in addition to looking at trading Jared Vanderbilt, which they've had no luck, no luck doing over the course of the last year, they're also exploring trades, consolation trades for their roster to kind of slim it down, involving Dalton Knecht.
They are looking to trade Dalton Knecht. He will not be a part of this roster long term,” Siegel said at the 20:40 mark.
Porzingis Update, KAT/NYK, Season Predictions | Clutch Scoops with @TomerAzarly & @BrettSiegelNBA https://t.co/ne5YYDRk9K
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 15, 2026
That leaves the Lakers in a strange spot: a reshaped team with clear direction, but still a couple of moving parts that could change before the season settles in. JJ Redick’s group is heading into the 2026-27 campaign with a roster built around Doncic and Reaves, and the depth chart looks different from what it did a year ago.
Last season, Los Angeles went 53-29 to earn the fourth seed. The Lakers then got past the Houston Rockets in six games before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
They still have one preseason game left, with the Denver Nuggets coming to town on Oct. 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The regular season begins at home on Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. ET against the Golden State Warriors.
In Other News...
Lakers Roster Battle Just Got Tighter Before Opening Night
The Lakers push to trim their roster is moving into the final stretch, and the latest change came with a familiar kind of preseason churn. Los Angeles waived forward Cole Swider and signed guard Jahmir Young as it continues to cut down toward the 15-player limit before the 2026-27 NBA regular season. Young had already been on the organizations radar after being acquired by the Coachella Valley Lakers, and he arrives off a strong season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
For a team still sorting out the back end of the roster, these decisions matter beyond the transaction wire. Los Angeles is expected to make more moves before its preseason finale and regular season opener, so this latest swap is part of a bigger picture rather than a one-off change. The Lakers are still weighing who fits, who sticks and how much room is left for the next player to make a case. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Final Roster Crunch Just Clarified One Preseason Battle
Several NBA teams trimmed their camps on Oct. 14 as the league-wide roster crunch came into sharper focus ahead of the Oct. 19 deadline. For the Lakers, the moves were part of the normal late-preseason sorting that comes every year, but they still carried weight for players trying to survive the final cut to a 15-man regular-season roster.
Los Angeles waived Cole Swider and Jahmir Young, closing another chapter in a camp that has steadily narrowed to the names the Lakers plan to keep evaluating. Both players are likely headed toward G League opportunities or another landing spot, and their exits help clarify one of the last preseason battles as the Lakers settle the edges of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Make Another Late Roster Move Worth Watching
The Lakers added another name to the roster mix ahead of opening night, signing forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones to an Exhibit 10 contract as they continue sorting through the final spots on a crowded group. Tait-Jones arrives with some recent momentum, having played for Valmiera Glass VIA in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and earned Finals MVP honors there.
Los Angeles is still above the standard player limit, so moves like this carry more roster significance than they might in a quieter stretch of the calendar. The Lakers have already waived players such as Jahmir Young and Cole Swider in recent weeks, and Tait-Jones now becomes another player worth tracking as the team keeps trimming and shaping the roster before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]