Lakers Guarantee Deals of Three Players, Stay at Full Roster

The contracts of the three non-guaranteed Lakers players at the start of the season have been made guaranteed

The Los Angeles Lakers, even in the midst of a rebuilding effort, seem like a team that is stuck in a rut right now. In terms of both wins and losses as well as in terms of youth development throughout the roster, it feels like a carousel full of broken horses going around and around.

One potential solution to maybe shake things up would have been for the Lakers to waive one of three players that were on non-guaranteed contracts—Tarik Black, Metta World Peace, Marcelo Huertas—prior to Thursday’s 2 p.m. PT deadline. Subsequently, that would have allowed the Lakers to sign players from the D-League or elsewhere to 10-day contracts.

However, the Lakers elected not to do so as the deadline pass and the trio of Lakers remained on the roster, making all of their deals now guaranteed for the rest of the 2015-16 season:

This doesn’t mean that players can no longer be waived—nor does it even mean that Black, World Peace, and Huertas can no longer be cut. However, it does signify the passing of the most logical and financially responsible time for a move like that to happen.

The important part to note is that these three players staying on the roster keeps the Lakers at the maximum 15-man roster. Again, that doesn’t definitively mean that something can’t change with the roster going forward. What it does indicate, though, is that there likely won’t be any shuffling with the roster in Los Angeles unless they have plans to make moves around the trade deadline.

Next: Front Office Must Help Free Tarik Black

Given the broken carousel and the seeming need to shake things up, fans should keep their fingers crossed that the front office indeed has something in mind leading up to the Feb. 18 trade deadline.