With the preseason in the rear view mirror, the Lakers are trimming down the extra pieces on their roster. On Saturday, the team announced they had waived RJ Davis, Augustas Marčiulionis, Anton Watson and Nate Williams.
All four players were on Exhibit-10 contracts.
As a reminder, an Exhibit-10 contract incentivizes a player to sign with the team’s G League affiliate when waived, guaranteeing
them more money if they do so. Effectively, this means all four players will be playing for South Bay this season, barring something completely unexpected.
Davis was the standout among the quartet of players during the preseason. He played in five of the six games and shot 13-26 from the field and 4-8 from the 3-point line in 81 minutes. It would not be a surprise if he eventually earned a two-way contract this year, either with the Lakers or with another team.
Nate Williams also played a fair amount in the preseason, seeing time in five games for 80 total minutes. He wasn’t quite as impressive but still flashed potential.
Watson was not much of a factor this preseason, taking just three shots across four games. Marčiulionis did not play at all as he was out with an injured foot. That is the same injury that kept him out of Summer League action as well.
The Lakers do have one open roster spot, but due to be hard-capped at the first apron, they do not have enough money to sign a player and won’t until January. Effectively, they won’t be a factor with any potential free agents until around the time of the buyout market barring a trade that saves them money.
They can, however, sign and release two-way players throughout the year should one of these fourp layers impress. Currently, the Lakers’ two-way signings are Christian Koloko, Chris Mañon and Nick Smith Jr.
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