The Los Angeles Lakers are set to begin training camp for their 2025-26 season on Oct. 1, and they have made a couple of roster moves in the lead-up to it. The Lakers announced that they have signed forward Anton Watson and guard Nate Williams while parting ways with guard Tevian Jones and forward Eric Dixon.
The Lakers had signed Jones to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday after waiving Jarron Cumberland, but chose to cut ties with him as well just days later. Dixon, meanwhile, had been given a two-way deal back in June, and it’s perhaps a little bit surprising that he has been let go.
According to Dave McMenamin, Watson and Williams, who have presumably been given Exhibit 10 deals, are expected to be participants in training camp.
The Boston Celtics selected Watson with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he never played a game for them. The former Gonzaga forward was waived in March 2025 and picked by the New York Knicks, for whom he played in nine games.
As for Williams, he had gone undrafted in 2022 after a four-year college career at Buffalo. He featured in five games for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022-23 and then spent the next two seasons with the Houston Rockets.
Watson and Williams will be hoping to impress during training camp, and one of them could join Christian Koloko and Chris Manon as players on two-way deals with the Lakers. Dixon’s departure has opened up a spot, and there are a fair few contenders for it.
Here is what the Lakers’ updated roster now looks like as they ramp up preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Guards: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, Bronny James, Chris Manon, R.J. Davis, Augustas Marciulionis, Nate Williams
Forwards: LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, Adou Thiero, Anton Watson
Centers: Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko
There is a lot of talent on this roster. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton look set to be starters, with the final spot in the lineup going to either Rui Hachimura or Marcus Smart.
Whichever of the two misses out will still be a key rotational piece along with the likes of Gabe Vincent, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jaxson Hayes. Sophomores Bronny James and Dalton Knecht would be hoping to join this group.
The Lakers were the third seed in the Western Conference in 2024-25 with a 50-32 record, and would be looking to finish even higher this time around. Despite having all that talent, though, they’re still not considered one of the favorites to win the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets seem to be a cut above the rest at the moment.
If the Lakers are to close the gap, they need to get better defensively. GM Rob Pelinka has made it clear he will only trade future draft picks on one condition, and you wonder if an ideal situation does come around at some point before the February deadline.
