The Lakers are still making moves with training camp just around the corner, and two young guards have now joined the mix in Los Angeles.
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The team signed Meechie Johnson and Chase Ross to Exhibit 10 contracts while waiving 6-foot-8 forward Anton Watson. All three moves came within a matter of days as the Lakers continued working through the final pieces of their training-camp roster.
For Johnson and Ross, the opportunity is about more than simply filling out the Lakers’ roster. Both went undrafted in 2026, and their Exhibit 10 deals give them a chance to compete in camp before potentially continuing their development with the Coachella Valley Lakers. That pathway is especially relevant with Los Angeles already having a deep group of established guards and wings around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Johnson arrives after starting all 32 games for South Carolina during the 2025-26 season. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 17.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.4 minutes per game, while shooting 41.4% from the field, 32.6% from three and 80.9% from the free-throw line.
His game gives the Lakers another smaller scoring and playmaking guard to evaluate. Johnson also spent the 2026 Summer League with the Miami Heat rather than Los Angeles, playing a limited role across the California Classic and Las Vegas. He averaged around 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in roughly 11 minutes per game.
Ross offers a different profile. The 6-foot-5 guard started all 32 games for Marquette last season and averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals in around 33 minutes per game. He shot 42.1% from the field and 29.5% from three.
Ross also led the Big East in steals and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team. He spent the 2026 Summer League with the Lakers, although his role was limited. His defensive profile could give Los Angeles another option to evaluate on the wing and in the backcourt.
Marquette coach Shaka Smart previously described the type of role Ross could fill:
“When he was in the role of being a ‘blend’ guy, when he was playing with some of the guys we had [that are in the NBA now], that was when he was at his best… He’s always going to be a guy that ‘Hey, go out there and guard this guy. Go out there and make a corner 3.’ So I am excited for him because he is a winner.”
That profile gives Ross a clear point of difference from Johnson as the Lakers evaluate both players. Los Angeles already has Doncic, Reaves, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and other young pieces competing for spots and roles across the backcourt and wing.
Watson’s departure opened another camp spot after the Lakers had signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract on September 17. He was waived the following day. The available research shows conflicting numbers for his 2025-26 G League season, so the stronger G League statistical record is safer to use than the Lakers’ 50-game figure. The official G League page lists Watson with 14 games, 10 starts, 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
The moves fit a familiar development route for the Lakers: undrafted player, Summer League opportunity, Exhibit 10 contract, training camp and then a potential G League assignment. Johnson and Ross are not being brought in as immediate rotation pieces, but they now have an opportunity to prove they belong in the organization’s system.
With training camp approaching, the Lakers are still using the final roster spots to find out which young players are worth keeping around.