With the start of the 2025-26 NBA season set to tip-off on Tuesday, many teams are in the process of trimming their training camp rosters to get down the maximum of 15 standard roster spots and three two-way contract spots. Some roster cuts have been a little surprising, while others, such as the Los Angeles Lakers’ cuts, were always expected as the season draws near.
The Lakers announced on Saturday that they had made four roster cuts in RJ Davis, Anton Watson, Augustas Marciulionis and Nate Williams, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel. With the cuts, the Lakers’ roster now stands at 14 standard contracts and three two-way contracts. There is a good chance that each of the players waived ends up with the Lakers’ G League affiliate in South Bay.
Davis and Marciulionis would have been rookies in the NBA while Watson spent his rookie season last year between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks and Williams played three years, one with the Portland Trail Blazers and two with the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers completed their preseason schedule on Friday with a 117-116 loss to the Sacramento Kings. They will open the regular season against the Golden State Warriors at home on Oct. 21. The Lakers will be without LeBron James who is dealing with a nerve injury. They will await word on backup big man Jaxson Hayes who suffered a wrist injury against the Kings.
While Lakers head coach JJ Redick was non-committal in terms of what his starting lineup might be on opening night, he spoke about benefits of adding Gabe Vincent in the starting unit alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura.
“In that lineup, there’s a lot of shooting around Luka and DA [Deandre Ayton], and Gabe is another ball-handler, another tough defender,” Redick said. “I think he fits in well, but you have to take a look at every matchup we play against, and you have to make a decision.”
