In less than three weeks, the 2026-27 NBA regular season will begin, and the 82-game race to make the playoffs will ensue. From new faces in new places, like LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia, as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard in Miami and Toronto, respectively, to those looking to make a jump to others looking to maintain their title-contending status, so many storylines exist entering training camp around the NBA.
However, one of the biggest storylines flying under the radar is the roster battles already taking place in both the Western and Eastern Conferences.
Multiple teams have several players fighting for the 15th spot on their roster, and there are even some organizations that will need to make two or three cuts within the next couple of weeks to trim their roster down to the 15-player maximum entering the 2026-27 season.
What about those teams who still need to add a player to get to the 14-player minimum or those who could leave an open roster spot open?
Here is the latest we are hearing about roster battles and potential cuts across the NBA as training camps begin for the 2026-27 season.
Will Lakers let Dalton Knecht go?
A lot has changed with the Los Angeles Lakers around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
After watching LeBron James depart, along with other veterans, the Lakers made it their mission to get younger, more athletic, and find key players on the wing who could create secondary scoring. Walker Kessler was a priority for this team in free agency and a player Doncic pinpointed as the Lakers' top target in free agency, and they also added known scorers like Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes as well.
As things currently stand, the Lakers have 16 players on their active roster, with the final spot likely coming down to former first-round pick Dalton Knecht and newly acquired guard Jaden Hardy. This will be a tough decision for Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick to make, and the Lakers' executive recently gave a glimpse into what this competition looks like.
“The spirit of competition has been great, and going from 16 guys to 15 guys, we have until Opening Night for the competition to sort of play out and see who the best 15 players are,” Pelinka mentioned alongside Redick on Thursday. “Behind that evaluation of who’s emerging in camp, there’s also consolidation trades that can still be looked at, trading two guys out, bringing one in. So there’s a number of ways that that could be addressed, and the back-end point of it will be before we play the Warriors.
“The next month will kind of answer those questions.”
A possible consolidation trade is something the Lakers have looked at quite a bit this offseason, both reaching out to teams and having teams reach out to them about the possibility of a deal, league sources told ClutchPoints. One player that stood out in multiple deals due to the trades he was involved in was sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who was recently moved from the Atlanta Hawks to the Charlotte Hornets and then to the Chicago Bulls.
Sources say the Lakers could've made a “2-for-1 move” to trade for Hield, but the organization ultimately elected against doing so. Although the exact reasoning for this was not provided, one can assume the main reason for this is due to Los Angeles likely needing to include a second-round pick to move two contracts.
The Lakers could definitely use another big man on their bench, preferably someone who could stretch the floor, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Pelinka move players like Knecht and Hardy in a deal, possibly even with a second-round pick, to beef up the frontcourt with a player he pinpoints.
Jalen Smith is the type of player that would make sense for LA to target in this scenario since he's in the final year of his contract. Chicago would have no problem taking on two contracts from a financial perspective, and taking a chance on younger players like Hardy and Knecht could make sense for them as well. Keep an eye on his status.
Overall, the Lakers' roster crunch is certainly centered on Knecht. He is a player the team has been trying to move for quite some time (and actually did if you remember the failed Mark Williams trade with Charlotte), as things just haven't worked out for the 25-year-old.
Knecht was on the trade block heading into February's deadline, and sources at the time told ClutchPoints that there were rumblings of him being a potential buyout candidate. Ultimately, Knecht remains on the Lakers roster, and the team was unable to move him in trade talks this offseason.
If the Lakers don't make a consolidation trade to move either Hardy or Knecht, the race for the final roster spot will simply come down to who performs better in training camp. Knowing Pelinka and how this front office operates, it's more likely than not that they will find a trade to move at least one of these players.
What will Mavericks decide?
Unlike the Lakers, who have two younger players battling for one spot, the Dallas Mavericks recently created their roster crunch by bringing veteran center Dwight Powell back on a one-year contract. This deal is a minimum contract worth $3.88 million, but only $1 million is guaranteed, with Powell earning an additional $500,000 if he makes the Opening Night roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Powell has long been a veteran leader in the Mavs' locker room and a well-respected voice on the team, which is why they are bringing him in for training camp. Another reason is due to Dereck Lively II still not being cleared for action after undergoing a second right foot surgery in December.
Ultimately, it's hard to see Powell taking a roster spot away from someone else on the backend of this roster, especially since the players he is “competing against” were all brought in or kept by Dallas this offseason.
Marcus Sasser was a player the Mavs traded for with the intent of having extra backcourt depth behind Kyrie Irving, and there's no chance that Dallas would consider waiving Tarik Biberovic after bringing him over from the EuroLeague. That leaves Moussa Cisse, who the Mavs matched an offer sheet for from the New York Knicks this summer in order to keep the athletic big man on the roster.
Waiving Sasser would be a questionable decision, seeing as the Mavs wanted to gamble on him since they lack backcourt depth, and between Powell and Cisse, it's definitely more advantageous for the franchise to keep the young, athletic big man with a reported 7'5″ wingspan.
Powell may be back for now, but it's really hard to see a scenario where the Mavericks create an actual roster spot for him.
Grizzlies to cut at least 3 players
D'Angelo Russell, who was recently waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, is heading overseas and will play in China. Even after waiving Russell, the Grizzlies still have 18 players with standard contracts, meaning that they will need to get rid of three players by the start of the regular season.
Second-year guard Walter Clayton Jr. is expected to remain in Memphis, as is big man Olivier-Maxence Prosper. At the same time, the Grizzlies do have a lot of guards besides Clayton, including the likes of Cam Spencer, Ty Jerome, and Scotty Pippen Jr.
Micah Peavy, who was acquired by the Grizzlies in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, is expected to be impacted by the roster crunch in Memphis, sources said. After recently suffering an ankle injury, Peavy's time with the Grizzlies will be short-lived.
Jordan Hawkins, who was also acquired from the Pelicans this offseason, is another player in battle to prove himself in Memphis during training camp.
If Peavy and Hawkins are both waived by the Grizzlies, that leaves one more player needing to be cut. Kris Murray would be the obvious answer, assuming he doesn't stand out in camp.
Murray was traded to Memphis alongside Jerami Grant in the deal that sent Ja Morant to Portland this offseason. The Grizzlies value GG Jackson and his development over the last couple of years, and the team also just drafted Karim Lopez on the wing. That is what makes Murray the one likely to be sacrificed.
Waiving Peavy, Hawkins, and Murray — assuming there are no consolidation trades to be had — gets the Grizzlies to 15 players.
In terms of the rest of this roster, sources say Jerami Grant is excited to embrace his role as the veteran leader of this team entering the 2026-27 season. Looking ahead, he will be a prime trade candidate as the season progresses. Isaiah Stewart is a player the Grizzlies had been attempting to land over the couple of years, sources said, and the team envisions keeping him well past the upcoming year.
Could Bucks cut Caris LeVert?
In Milwaukee, the Bucks are entering a new era without Giannis. Tyler Herro is now the featured star of the team, one that features a ton of youthful talents that will receive a lot of minutes this upcoming year.
Ryan Rollins, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, Brayden Burries, Nate Ament, Ousmane Dieng, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are all recent draft picks who will factor into Taylor Jenkins' rotation throughout the 2026-27 season, with the Bucks focusing on development of their future core.
Still, after all the trades and deals they made this summer, the Bucks find themselves at 17 players on their active roster.
Pete Nance, who re-signed with the Bucks this offseason, will likely be waived since he finds himself on a non-guaranteed deal that becomes fully guaranteed the day before Opening Night. Although Milwaukee envisioned him being on their roster this season, former draft-and-stash big man Bogoljub Markovic has seemed to take that spot.
The bigger name to focus on in the roster crunch surrounds veteran guard Caris LeVert. Unless the Bucks find a trade for him, Kyle Kuzma, or another aging veteran, LeVert may end up being the odd man out in Milwaukee.
The 32-year-old was traded to the Bucks in a cap-saving move by the Detroit Pistons this offseason, and Milwaukee doesn't really have a role for him. Along with the youthful options listed above, the Bucks will also be giving time to Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green, which leaves no minutes for LeVert.
Should he be waived, LeVert will instantly become a key veteran on the market who would certainly have some suitors out there.
Clippers to make a move
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All of the Kawhi Leonard stuff is behind the LA Clippers, who are continuously apologizing to their fans and taking every measure to ensure that they are finally moving in a positive direction. Give the Clippers a lot of credit for putting this drama in the past and focusing on the team at hand under new interim CEO John Gibson and interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden.
The goal, at least in terms of what Gibson and Redden recently said at Media Day, is to be competitive and put together a winning team that can get to the playoffs in the Western Conference. Already, we have seen the Clippers making some minor roster moves as they deal with their 16-player roster entering training camp.
After waiving Johni Broome, the Clippers then waived 7'5″ big man Jamarion Sharp to open a two-way roster spot. Los Angeles then signed former 2022 first-round pick Blake Wesley to a training camp deal.
With a two-way roster spot open and needing to make a roster cut at some point, the easiest path to solving two problems at once would be waiving Cam Christie and re-signing him to a two-way contract, assuming they'd want to keep him.
Christie currently finds himself on a non-guaranteed contract that becomes fully guaranteed on Oct. 15. He is entering the final year of eligibility for a two-way contract, and possibly being waived and then subsequently signing this deal would allow him to remain in LA with the Clippers for the 2026-27 season.
Jordan Miller earned a standard deal from the Clippers this summer, and the team traded for Gradey Dick in the Kawhi deal, which has pushed Christie out of a role and minutes on this roster. If the team and Christie did ultimately go down this route, Christie would fill the Clippers' third two-way slot next to Jalen Pickett and Nick Martinelli.
Barring an unforeseen trade for the Clippers, Christie will be the one cut.
Hornets still need to make one roster cut
As much as the Charlotte Hornets love Pat Connaughton and the energy he brings to the locker room on a daily basis, he is unfortunately the most likely player to be waived due to his contract being non-guaranteed.
The Hornets currently have 16 players under contract, with Connaughton having the lone non-guaranteed deal. Sion James and Liam McNeeley aren't going anywhere, and Charlotte has declined all trade interest coming their way for Moussa Diabate throughout the summer.
Perhaps something could happen with veteran forward Royce O'Neale, but sources said the Hornets are expected to keep him for now before looking to flip him before the trade deadline in February.
Should Connaughton be waived by the Hornets, he could easily return to the team sometime during the 2026-27 season when they make roster moves.
Other key NBA training camp roster notes
Elsewhere around the NBA, the New York Knicks find themselves not as a team facing a roster crunch but needing to actually add one player before the start of the season since they have 13 players under contract.
Entering training camp and Media Day, the Knicks had signed veterans like John Konchar, Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, and Drew Eubanks to non-guaranteed deals that could be converted into standard contracts. On Wednesday morning, the team announced that they waived Konchar, who had been away from the team attending a personal matter, according to SNY's Ian Begley.
In his place, the Knicks announced that they signed veteran center Tony Bradley to an Exhibit-9 contract, putting him in a battle with Wiseman and Eubanks in the frontcourt.
Adding another big man is a priority for the Knicks, sources said, leading many to assume that one of these three centers will make the Opening Night roster on some sort of partially guaranteed deal. The Knicks have also been aggressive looking for minor deals on the trade block utilizing the contracts of Pacome Dadiet and Miles McBride in hopes of adding an impactful center to their bench unit.
The Knicks still have two open roster spots, but they only have about $3.2 million to work with before reaching the second apron, which is essentially the team's hard cap since owner James Dolan made it clear he won't be crossing that line.
Staying in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics are also balancing out their roster in training camp. With 14 players under contract, the Celtics are just $1.7 million from the luxury tax, hence why many around the NBA don't expect them to fill their 15th roster spot.
However, the Celtics do have an open two-way roster spot. Amari Williams and Dillon Jones hold two of those spots for Boston, meaning they have a center and a wing with two-way contracts. Could that final spot be given to a guard?
That is a real possibility, especially with Devin Carter receiving a training camp deal with the Celtics. Carter will be battling with Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, Hayden Gray, and Gabe McGlothan for a roster spot in Boston.
The Indiana Pacers are another team in the East with an open roster spot and just $2.2 million from their first apron hard cap. Veteran James Johnson was recently signed by the team for training camp and will remain with the team throughout the preseason.
He will be waived by the team before the start of the season, and it's possible that they will bring him back on a prorated contract as the season goes on in order to remain in good financial standing. The Pacers are not expected to fill their 15th roster spot at this time.
Over in the Western Conference, we are keeping an eye on both the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
Charles Bassey and Georges Niang signed partially guaranteed deals, while Brandon Williams' contract is non-guaranteed. The Warriors really like their roster heading into the new season, especially with the newfound depth on the backend. Unless Bassey, Niang, or Williams get injured in the preseason, it's likely that all three make the team and contribute early in the year as Steve Kerr sorts through his rotation.
It is possible that Dalen Terry could be swapped in for Williams if the Warriors prefer to do so, but Terry is expected to join the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League.
As for the Nuggets, they still have an open roster spot and signed Lonnie Walker IV to a training camp deal. The only problem is that Denver is $3 million over the second apron, and signing Walker to a standard minimum contract would incur more substantial tax penalties.
There is no telling at this time what management will decide in Denver, making Walker's status entering the year uncertain. This is one of the key roster situations we are watching, as Walker decided to come back to the NBA after playing overseas. He wouldn't have done so unless he had a good chance to make a roster.
The Nuggets do not have a bunch of reliable bench depth outside of veteran DeMar DeRozan, which would make Walker a very intriguing option.