Lakers play numbers game as roster crunch comes back into focus

The Los Angeles Lakers face an upcoming roster crunch as they must trim their squad from 16 guaranteed contracts down to the league-mandated 15 players. With the preseason concluding against the Denver Nuggets, team president and general manager Rob Pelinka has until Monday afternoon to resolve the roster before opening the regular season against the Golden State Warriors.

League personnel expect Dalton Knecht or Jaden Hardy to be the odd man out, with Knecht seen as the likely candidate to be waived if a trade cannot be finalized. The Lakers have explored trade options involving both players, though Hardy noted after a recent shootaround that he remains focused and untroubled by the impending decision.