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Grizzlies and Lakers shed excess contracts in Saturday compliance push
The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward Zach Cleveland on Saturday, cutting a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract and bringing their roster down to 20 players. The move leaves the Grizzlies still two players above the required 15-man standard roster limit for the regular season, but shedding those final spots may take until Sunday or Monday—particularly if they involve guaranteed money. The Lakers also cut two players: Rafael Castro and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, pushing closer to compliance while still needing at least one more transaction.
The Grizzlies’ path to 15
Cleveland, who joined Memphis as an undrafted free agent after his college tenure at Liberty, is expected to become an affiliate player for the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 deal made him an easy first cut; the forward clears waivers before the regular season and is now eligible for the $91,000 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Hustle.
With Cleveland gone, the Grizzlies’ 20-man roster now consists of 17 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. Shedding two more requires either trading away a roster piece or waiving a player carrying guaranteed salary—a distinction that affects cap accounting but not cash outlay. The team has until the start of the regular season to finalize those moves, but the strategic window to clear waivers before tipoff suggests Memphis will act by end of Sunday at the latest.
Lakers exploring trade market to avoid cut
Los Angeles has taken a more aggressive approach. After placing Castro and Tait-Jones on waivers—both G League-bound—the Lakers are actively pursuing trade solutions rather than outright releases. The front office has been in contact with the Bulls, Jazz, and Bucks about moving 2024 first-rounder Dalton Knecht, the player most likely to be cut or traded if no deal materializes.
The calculus is straightforward: Knecht on his own has little trade value given his pending roster status, but bundled with additional draft picks—particularly a second-rounder—he could fetch a depth piece like a young big man that the Lakers prefer to retain. The team’s preference to trade rather than waive reflects confidence that roster flexibility mid-season is worth the modest sweetener.
Systemic roster compression across the league
Saturday’s moves are part of a league-wide compression triggered by the 15-man limit. Most franchises opted to clear waivers before the weekend to avoid dead cap hits lingering into the regular season. However, teams with multiple guaranteed contracts—particularly Memphis and Los Angeles, which have invested heavily in core rosters—face a harder squeeze. The Lakers’ willingness to explore trades instead of cuts signals that some contenders view this roster-crunch window as an opportunity to acquire depth or move salary, turning deadline logic into preseason reality. Expect trade chatter involving young players and draft capital to spike through Sunday night.
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