The Lakers made moves Sunday night, hours before Media Day, without addressing their core roster problem. They signed wings William Kyle III and Cole Swider while cutting point guards Chase Ross and Meechie Johnson, who had arrived just ten days earlier.
A move that doesn't count
All four contracts are training camp deals and don't affect the roster count. That means the franchise still has sixteen guaranteed contracts for fifteen available spots, and must resolve it before the October 21 season opener.
What does explain the move is the real destination of the signings. An Exhibit 10 contract only applies to training camp, doesn't count against the cap, and pays the player a bonus of up to $91,000 if he accepts spending at least sixty days with the G League affiliate after being cut. In practice, it's the format teams use to bring prospects to their development squad.
And there's the context: the Lakers are building the roster for the Coachella Valley Lakers, the affiliate that relocated from the Los Angeles area to the desert and debuts in November.
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Who is William Kyle III
A 6'9" power forward, 22 years old, who went undrafted in June's draft. He played at South Dakota State and UCLA before finishing his college career at Syracuse, where he started all 32 games in the 2025-26 season.
His averages there were 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 2.5 blocks in 28 minutes, numbers that placed him among the ACC's best shot-blockers.
The team already knew him: he defended the Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League, and it was his rim protection and rebounding that caught the coaching staff's attention. That aligns with what the technical staff has been emphasizing for months—defending near the basket. His weakness remains on offense.
Cole Swider's Return
Swider is a familiar face to the franchise. The 6'7" wing, 27 years old, played seven games for the Lakers in 2022-23 on a two-way contract, remained with the organization through the affiliate through 2024-25, and played in the 2025 Summer League with the team.
Last season he went to Turkey: 21 games with Anadolu Efes, averaging 7.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.9 minutes.
His value is the three-point shot. For an affiliate that will receive young players and needs spacing, a veteran who knows the system and can shoot from deep is useful both on and off the court.
Ten Days for Ross and Johnson
The two departing barely got to practice. They signed on September 18, the same day the club cut Anton Watson, and have been released without participating in any official practice, since the campus begins this Tuesday.
Ross came from Marquette, where he made the Big East All-Defensive team, and Johnson from South Carolina, where he started all 32 games.
What the Change Signals
This kind of shuffling is routine at this time of year and says little about the players. What it does indicate is direction: swapping two point guards for two wings shows what the Lakers want for their affiliate—size and defense. The same approach the main roster pursued over the summer, now applied at the development level.