The Lakers are exploring trades as they work to get down to the 15-player limit, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report reported Oct. 14 on X. “Have heard the Bucks, Lakers and Grizzlies all exploring trades,” Fischer wrote. No deal has been reported.
The Lakers have 16 players on standard contracts. Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Memphis are the only three NBA teams currently carrying more than 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts. Fischer’s update does not identify a Lakers trade target, name an outgoing player or establish that an agreement is imminent.
At his Sept. 24 media availability, Rob Pelinka named a consolidation trade as one possible solution, meaning the Lakers would send out more players than they take back. Jovan Buha has said the simplest version would be a two-for-one, such as “Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, for a backup center.” Jarred Vanderbilt has also come up as a trade candidate.
The Lakers are thin at center behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney. If no trade comes together, Knecht is the most likely player to be waived. The 2024 first-round pick has scored 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting with six turnovers in 40 minutes across three preseason games.
The Lakers Are Trying to Sell Players Who Haven’t Earned Minutes
The Lakers want to turn a roster-count problem into a frontcourt upgrade. The trouble is what they have to offer.
Knecht has fallen out of the rotation and has struggled in preseason, and Buha has said rival rosters are mostly full, adding, “I just don’t see a realistic landing spot where someone is gonna claim him off waivers or trade for him solo.” Pelinka raised the consolidation idea on Sept. 24, and no deal has followed.
With players this hard to move, the most likely outcome is that the Lakers waive someone and eat his guaranteed salary. A backup center would more likely have to wait until later in the season.
The Roster Must Be Set by 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 19
The NBA’s roster deadline is Monday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m. ET. By then, the Lakers have to either make a trade or waive a player to get to 15.
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