The Los Angeles Lakers need to get down to a maximum of 15 players on their active roster before the start of the 2015-16 NBA regular season.
Although the roster cuts this time around have been tougher than in years past, there were a few players that seemed destined to receive their walking papers.
According to Bill Oram of the OC Register, undrafted rookie Jonathan Holmes has been waived by the Lakers.
Lakers have waived Jonathan Holmes. As previously reported, final roster spot comes down to Metta vs. Jabari Brown.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 23, 2015
This move was not a surprise, especially after Holmes injured his shoulder in the Lakers’ preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Before then, Holmes hadn’t had much of a chance to play, but coaches had praised his versatility and energy in practices. Because he is injured, the Lakers will be on the hook for Holmes’ salary until he is no longer hurt. Assuming he clears waivers, Holmes would likely wind up on the Los Angeles D-Fenders once healthy.
With Holmes being released, the Lakers will have one more cut to make which will come down to either Metta World Peace or Jabari Brown. The Lakers reportedly are fans of both players with World Peace bringing veteran leadership and defense while Brown provides great scoring from the backcourt.
The Lakers have until Wednesday’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves to make their decision. In the preseason finale, Brown had five points and three rebounds in 12 minutes while World Peace played only six minutes, contributing one point and two rebounds.