The Los Angeles Lakers could be forced to waive Bronny James to create an empty roster spot for Matisse Thybulle, whom they reportedly have expressed interest in signing as a free agent.
The Lakers used up their 15th and final roster spot when they signed Ziaire Williams last week, which has also caused a hurdle in their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga. Per multiple reports, the Lakers and Atlanta Hawks have discussed a sign-and-trade pathway that would make it easier for Los Angeles to onboard Kuminga. If a sign-and-trade doesn’t materialize, the Lakers could similarly be forced to waive Bronny James or some other bench player on the roster to create a new roster spot.
Lakers Roster Reaches Capacity
As noted above, the Lakers filled their 15-man roster by signing Ziaire Williams immediately after using their 14th spot on Kevon Looney.
The updated Lakers roster can be seen below.
- Luka Doncic
- Austin Reaves
- Adou Thiero
- Bronny James
- Jarred Vanderbilt
- Cameron Carr
- Walker Kessler
- Quentin Grimes
- Jaden Hardy
- Dalton Knecht
- Kevon Looney
- Jake LaRavia
- Sandro Mamukelashvili
- Collin Sexton
- Ziaire Williams
The signings of Williams and the pursuits of Kuminga and Thybulle are all geared towards the Lakers shoring up their perimeter defense, which they didn’t necessarily do with their flurry of free-agency signings earlier this month.
Lakers Target Perimeter Defense
Simply put, the likes of Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton are all offensively-skewed players who will help the Lakers’ shooting, but not their defense. One could argue that Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney are their only free-agent pickups that will shore up their defense, but neither player is adept at switching out to the perimeter and helping Luka Doncic and Co. deal with their biggest weakness.
Thybulle, a two-time All-Defensive selection, will surely alleviate a lot of those concerns, even though his recent health issues raise serious red flags. The Aussie played only a combined 45 regular-season games over the last two seasons for the Trail Blazers due to a series of injuries, including surgeries on his right knee and left thumb. Many analysts believe Thybulle — one of the best on-ball defenders in the league — remains unsigned only due to his recent injury streak. The one positive is that the Aussie has made considerable strides as a three-point shooter in recent years — shooting 38% from three in nearly four seasons in Portland.
Per multiple insiders, the Lakers remain focused on shoring up their perimeter defense.
“The Lakers have again broadened their search for perimeter defense,” insider Marc Stein reported on Thursday. “League sources say, registering interest this week in free agent Matisse Thybulle. They have already added Ziaire Williams while also continuing to pursue Jonathan Kuminga.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported last week that the Lakers view their final roster spot as “a very important” piece of the puzzle and want to be diligent about who they sign. Although they’ve technically exhausted the final roster spot, all signs point to the Lakers making another big move or two before rounding out the roster.
If that means waiving Bronny James, so be it?
Lakers Face Harsh Bronny James Decision to Sign New Free Agent Target