The Lakers signed guard Jahmir Young and waived him the same day, Wednesday, Oct. 14. They used the opening to sign New Zealand forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones to an Exhibit 10 deal, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Earlier that night, the Lakers signed Young to an Exhibit 10 contract and waived Cole Swider in a corresponding move ahead of their preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Oct. 16.
Two Exhibit 10 Moves in One Night
Young, 26, spent 2025-26 with the Miami Heat. He appeared in 14 NBA games for Miami, averaging 1.8 points and 0.6 assists in 4.2 minutes per contest. His G League numbers were far stronger: with Sioux Falls he averaged 25.9 points and 8.5 assists per game, earning All-NBA G League Second Team honors. On September 29, Young was acquired by Coachella Valley in the deal that sent big man Kylor Kelly and a 2027 G League first-round draft pick to the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Tait-Jones is 25 and 6-foot-6. He played his final two collegiate seasons at UC San Diego before going undrafted in 2025. Uluc reported that Tait-Jones recently averaged 15.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for Valmiera Glass VIA, winning the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League Championship and Final MVP.
Under an Exhibit 10 deal, a player can earn a bonus worth up to $91,000 if he’s waived before the season and spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate. For the Lakers, that affiliate is the Coachella Valley Lakers, formerly known as the South Bay Lakers.
The Churn Is Stocking Coachella Valley, Not the Lakers’ Bench
None of these moves is a bid for the 15-man roster. All three players signed Exhibit 10 deals, and those contracts exist to route players to the G League affiliate.
Coachella Valley already holds Young’s G League rights from the Sept. 29 trade, so waiving him does not necessarily cost the organization access to him. The likely net result is that the Lakers added Tait-Jones to the Coachella Valley pipeline without giving up Young. The roster decision that matters is still ahead and involves guaranteed money, not camp contracts.
A Guaranteed Contract Has to Go Before Oct. 21
Before taking on the Warriors on Oct. 21, the Lakers will need to get their roster down to 15 players, meaning at least one player with a guaranteed contract on the team will not be on the opening-night roster. The reporting does not say whether that cut will come through a trade or a waiver. The Lakers play their preseason finale against Denver on Friday, Oct. 16.
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