The Los Angeles Lakers wanted a deeper roster around Luka Doncic. Their offseason worked almost too well.
Los Angeles enters training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts and only 15 regular-season roster spots. According to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha, the final decision could come down to three young guards fighting for two places: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht.
“My read on the situation is that this is going to be a competition among Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Jaden Hardy,” Buha said on his “Buha’s Block” podcast. “Two of those guys will make it. One of those guys won’t.”
Buha presented that scenario as his assessment, not confirmed organizational thinking. One detail from Thursday’s news conference added intrigue, however: Neither president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka nor coach JJ Redick mentioned Hardy, James or Knecht by name while discussing the remade roster and the competition for rotation roles.
Their omissions do not prove that any of the three is in immediate danger, but they stood out during an otherwise expansive conversation about the Lakers’ personnel.
Jaden Hardy Appears to Have Inside Track for Lakers Spot
Hardy is the most established member of Buha’s projected competition.
The Lakers acquired the 23-year-old guard from the Washington Wizards in the trade that sent Deandre Ayton to Washington. Hardy averaged 12.6 points and shot 42% from three over 23 games with the Wizards last season.
He also spent his first three NBA seasons playing alongside Doncic in Dallas and was part of the Mavericks team that reached the 2024 NBA Finals. That familiarity should shorten Hardy’s adjustment period in an offense built around Doncic.
“I would give him the edge,” Buha said. “I think he’s probably, as things stand, the best player of those three.”
Hardy’s $6 million salary could make him useful in a consolidation trade, but waiving him would be an expensive and surprising outcome. If he earns a rotation role, the more direct competition would appear to be between James and Knecht.
Bronny James Could Have Edge Over Dalton Knecht
That matchup has changed dramatically since the Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 pick and James at No. 55 in the 2024 NBA draft.
Knecht entered the league as the more polished scorer, but his role collapsed last season. He averaged 4.2 points in 54 appearances, shot 34.2% from three and made only one start.
James averaged 2.9 points over 42 games, yet his defense and improving decision-making earned greater trust from Redick late in the season. James also shot 38.6% from three in limited NBA action.
“If you go back to the end of last season, Bronny was winning that competition,” Buha said. “Bronny was the one who was in the rotation. Bronny was the one who was being given opportunities and entrusted by the coaching staff.”
Knecht remains the better pure scorer, a potentially valuable skill beside Doncic and Austin Reaves. James offers stronger point-of-attack defense and ended last season moving in the opposite direction.
Pelinka said Los Angeles will evaluate its back-end roster throughout training camp and the preseason. A two-for-one trade could resolve the logjam without requiring a traditional cut.
If no deal materializes, the Lakers must choose their final 15 before opening the regular season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21. Until then, three players conspicuously absent from Thursday’s roster discussion could be competing for two NBA jobs.
Lakers Insider Names 3 Players Fighting for 2 Roster Spots