Lakers news: Four players on the bubble for final roster spots

The Los Angeles Lakers get their season underway this Thursday night against their inter-city rival Los Angeles Clippers. With final rosters starting to take shape in the latest Lakers news, let’s take a look at who could be sitting on the Lakers bench on opening night.

Head coach Luke Walton and the rest of the Lakers coaching staff have already made some decisions about the roster the team will take into its opening night matchup with the Clippers. Last week it was announced that Briante Weber, Vander Blue, and Travis Wear will all not make the cut for the Lakers this season.

This was particularly disappointing for Blue and Wear, who were both major contributors on the Lakers Summer League team that took home the championship in Las Vegas in July. Blue had been a longtime contributor to the Lakers minor league system, taking home the 2016-2017 D-League Most Valuable Player.

There is a chance that both Blue and Wear are offered a chance to return to the Lakers on minor league contracts, but for now, they’ll be looking for work elsewhere in the league and other opportunities to play professionally around the world.

This latest wave of cuts leaves the Lakers with 16 players under contract for the upcoming season. With a minimum of 12 spots on the opening night roster, the Lakers are left with more difficult decisions to make about who they will allow to suit up to start out the season.

Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have equipped the Lakers with a deep roster. Let’s take a look at the four players that are unlikely to make the opening night roster, and think about how they could still contribute to the Lakers organization this season.