The Los Angeles Lakers are still working through the final pieces of their roster, and Wednesday showed how quickly a spot can turn over. In a matter of hours, the front office made four moves: two players were waived, two were signed, and one of the newcomers was gone almost as soon as he arrived.
The latest transaction brings an overseas talent with a title-winning résumé into the picture. It also ends a short stint for a guard who had hoped to turn his G League success into a bigger opportunity. And all of it is happening while a bigger decision looms: the Lakers are carrying 16 guaranteed contracts and must shed one before opening night.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones,” Lakers reporter Trevor Lane tweeted. “In a corresponding move, the team has waived guard Jahmir Young.”
Tait-Jones went undrafted in 2025 after playing college basketball at UC San Diego. The New Zealand native earned Big West Player of the Year honors in 2025 and was named tournament MVP as the Tritons won their first Big West regular-season and tournament championships. His success continued in Europe.
Playing for Latvian club Valmiera Glass VIA last season, the 6-foot-6 guard/forward averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Valmiera won the Latvian Cup, the Latvian league and the Latvian-Estonian League, and Tait-Jones was named Final MVP of the Latvian-Estonian League. That is a strong résumé for an undrafted prospect.
The 25-year-old has shown that he can produce at different levels and contribute to a winning team. He has not yet played in an NBA regular-season game, and the Lakers now have a chance to see how his game translates to their system.
His contract does not guarantee a place on the NBA roster. But the Exhibit 10 deal gives Tait-Jones an opportunity to compete during the final preseason game against the Nuggets and make an impression on the coaching staff. Even if he does not secure a regular-season spot, the Purple and Gold franchise could still offer a path through its G League affiliate.
Tait-Jones’s signing came at Jahmir Young’s expense, just hours after the Lakers had signed Young.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Jahmir Young,” Lakers reporter Trevor Lane tweeted. “In a corresponding move, the team has waived forward Cole Swider.”
The team had signed Young to an Exhibit 10 deal after releasing forward Cole Swider. Now, the same roster spot has been used to bring in Tait-Jones. Days earlier, the Lakers made a similar swap, waiving William Kyle III and signing center Rafael Castro to an Exhibit 10 deal.
Young arrived with a compelling record of his own. The Maryland product went undrafted in 2024 and has had limited NBA opportunities, playing six games for the Chicago Bulls and 14 for the Miami Heat. Most of his success has come in the G League.
Last season, he put up impressive numbers with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Young averaged 25.9 points and 8.5 assists per game, earning All-NBA G League Second Team recognition. For now, the Lakers are not giving him a place on the NBA roster.
The roster decision started when the Lakers waived Swider. The 6-foot-8 forward has previous ties to the Lakers and is known for his three-point shooting. After being undrafted in 2022, the Lakers offered a two-way contract. Since then, the 27-year-old has featured in 35 NBA games.
His other stints include the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors. But the Toronto team waived him about two weeks after signing him in 2025. This time, Los Angeles signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract before waiving him after three preseason appearances.
Not even a nine-point outing against Golden State on Oct. 6, when he hit three of his four 3-point attempts, was enough to earn him a regular-season spot. So, Young then took his place. With Young now waived, Tait-Jones gets the next opportunity. While the front office makes these moves, it still has a bigger question to answer.
The Lakers have 16 guaranteed contracts on the active roster. The front office must waive, stretch, or trade at least one player before opening night. Tait-Jones’s Exhibit 10 deal is non-guaranteed, so the Lakers can evaluate him without it affecting that decision, though he would have to be waived or converted to a two-way contract before the season begins.
Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy are reportedly fighting for that final spot.
“Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15,” California Post’s Khobi Price wrote.
Even Lakers insider Jovan Buha expects Knecht to be traded.
“My understanding is a consolidation trade. Obviously, it would be two-for-one, three-for-one, or three-for-two is a little more complicated,” Buha said. “So I think the most straightforward one would be two-for-one…And depending on the configuration of the trade, it could be a version of two of the back-end guys, let’s say Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, for a backup center.”
Friday is the final game for all three to impress JJ Redick and his staff. But not all would get similar opportunities to perform. And their exit could come before the game as well.