The Los Angeles Lakers added another familiar face to a training camp roster that is already crowded.
Los Angeles signed forward Anton Watson to an Exhibit 10 contract Thursday, giving the 25-year-old another opportunity to compete with the organization after spending last season in its development system. The move was first announced by the team and noted by Lakers reporter Jovan Buha. Watson also played for the Lakers’ summer league team in July.
The timing is notable because the Lakers already have a roster decision looming before opening night.
Los Angeles currently carries 16 players on guaranteed standard contracts, one more than the NBA’s regular-season maximum of 15. At least one guaranteed player must be moved or waived before the season begins.
Watson’s Exhibit 10 deal does not solve that problem. It adds another body to camp and another player fighting for a place in the organization.
Anton Watson Gets Another Lakers Opportunity
Watson is no stranger to the Lakers.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward spent time with the South Bay Lakers last season, averaging 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the G League. He was originally selected with the No. 54 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a five-year career at Gonzaga.
He also appeared with Los Angeles during the 2025 preseason before being waived in October. The Lakers brought him back for summer league this year, where he remained part of the organization’s developmental pipeline.
Watson’s appeal is not difficult to understand.
He has enough size to defend forwards, can operate as a connector offensively and has shown some ability to stretch the floor. For a Lakers roster built around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, versatility from low-usage role players is valuable.
The problem is opportunity.
Lakers Still Face 16-Man Guaranteed Roster Crunch
Watson is attempting to earn a place on a team that already has more guaranteed contracts than it can carry into the regular season.
That makes his path to a standard NBA roster spot especially difficult.
The Lakers can bring as many as 21 players into training camp, but that number must eventually be trimmed to 15 standard contracts, plus up to three two-way players, by the start of the regular season.
That means Los Angeles already must make at least one decision before Watson’s long-shot bid is even considered.
Still, Exhibit 10 contracts serve another purpose. They allow teams to evaluate players during camp while retaining a pathway to the G League if they are waived.
For Watson, that could again mean a prominent role with the Lakers’ affiliate if he does not crack the NBA roster.
His familiarity with the system gives him an advantage over a typical camp invite.
His challenge is the numbers.
The Lakers already have a roster crunch before camp officially begins. Watson now enters that crowded picture, hoping to make himself too useful to ignore.
Lakers Add 6-Foot-8 Forward Amid Growing Roster Crunch