Media Day for the Los Angeles Lakers is on Monday, and after that comes the official start of training camp. The Lakers regular season roster is essentially set, and they have one two-way contract spot open. The final two-way contract spot was reportedly going to rookie forward Eric Dixon, but those plans have yet to materialize with Dixon still coming to camp. The Lakers made a roster move this week in advance of training camp with that has implications for their G League team, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel.
The Lakers opted to waive forward Arthur Kaluma while signing guard Jarron Cumberland. Both players will most likely end up with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. Kaluma was on the Lakers’ roster for NBA Summer League after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Cumberland went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, and actually played three games for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020-21 season.
Following the moves, the Lakers have 20 players on their roster heading into training camp. They obviously will need to cut down to a maximum of 15 players by the start of the regular season, and they already have 15 guaranteed contracts.
The Lakers also have two of their two-way contract spots filled by third-year big man Christian Koloko and rookie Chris Mañon. It’s possible that a couple of the team’s camp invites could be competing for the final two-way contract. One player that the Lakers have invited to camp is Kylor Kelley, who played for their G League team last season. Kelley had two different NBA call-ups last season, one with the Dallas Mavericks and one with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers will be heading into the second year of the JJ Redick era, with the head coach recently receiving a contract extension after just one season at the helm. The Lakers finished with a record of 50-32 last season and earned a top-three seed in the Western Conference. However, the team was eliminated in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.
