Lakers News: Lakers make final training camp roster cuts

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially cut their roster down to 16 players following their preseason finale, announcing the release of Travis Wear, Vander Blue and Briante Weber. This should come as no surprise, but was a task the front office had to wrap up with only a few days until the start of the regular season. Alex Caruso is the 16th man, but has been assigned one of the Lakers’ two-way contracts so they can carry him forward.

Wear’s contract included an “Exhibit 10” stipulation, which allows the Lakers to convert his contract into a two-way. The Lakers have one two-way remaining and could award it to Wear, though they’ve yet to make that move officially.

That makes Andrew Bogut the Lakers’ 15th man, despite the veteran being unable to get on the court during preseason. The Lakers’ depth at center is a roster concern, and his familiarity with head coach Luke Walton, along with his reputation as a defensive anchor, certainly helped him get the final nod.

Blue is the most painful cut of the group. He had a memorable run during Las Vegas Summer League that helped the Lakers capture their first “title” in the desert. He averaged 3.4 points per game through five preseason games, however, and fills a role the Lakers don’t necessarily need with Jordan Clarkson as their off-the-bench scoring guard.

There’s not much to see here, though. None of the preseason cuts showed enough to warrant not taking a dice roll on Bogut, who’s contract isn’t even fully guaranteed for the Lakers. Their squad heading into opening night has been finalized, which is business as usual after the finale preseason game.