Worldwide Sports News

With the NBA season beginning in five days, the Phoenix Suns are narrowing down who the final members of their regular-season roster will be, and it appears they’ve likely decided on who the last standard roster spot is going to, according to Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro.

27-year-old Jamaree Bouyea is in line to stay on the roster after a strong end to last season and a noteworthy preseason. Even though the team can roster 15 players on standard deals, Gambadoro reports they will likely use the flexibility they have for a few of the two-way players they signed this offseason and stay at 14. This means the Suns will most likely cut Haywood Highsmith, who is currently on a non-guaranteed deal.

The 6’2” guard from the University of San Francisco had the best season of his NBA career last year, reaching career highs in points per game and games played. After the team waived Cole Anthony in March, Bouyea’s contract was converted from a two-way to a standard deal.

Known for his quickness, Suns fans saw Bouyea in spurts last season, with his playing time increasing as the season went on. His development into a full-time NBA player is one that team owner Mat Ishbia has lauded as an example of the team’s ability to develop players who’ve been with other teams and can fly under the public’s radar.

While no formal cuts have been made yet and no decisions have been formally announced, expect a slew of announcements on the final roster after tomorrow’s game against the Utah Jazz, their last game of the preseason.

The Suns’ season tips off next Wednesday, October 21st, at 7:00 pm Arizona time when they head to Portland to face the Trailblazers.

What is the Lakers’ ceiling?

Lakers coach JJ Redick and Luka Doncic believe the team could compete for a championship this season. 

But is that realistic?

In the Western Conference alone, there’s a Goliath-sized impediment. 

You know, the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama who carried the Spurs to the NBA Finals last postseason before his team blew double-digit leads in four of its five games against the eventual-champion Knicks. Wembanyama, who’s next in line to become the face of the league after LeBron James retires, spent all summer stewing — and plotting. 

There’s also a well-established impediment. 

You know, two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Thunder to a championship in 2025 and is now chomping at the bit to carry his team back to the Finals after the Spurs stunned Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

The thing with this Lakers team is that their championship hurdles will be as much external as internal. 

There are nine new players, including Walker Kessler, who’s going to be an integral part of the Big 3 alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves. There are questions around the team’s perimeter defense. It’s going to take time for everyone to build chemistry. To jell. 

Not only do the Lakers have to worry about everyone else. But they have to worry about themselves. What’s their identity? 

Redick raised eyebrows when he claimed ahead of media day that he was confident the Lakers would develop into a championship-level team this season. 

When asked at Thursday’s practice why he believes that, he didn’t hesitate. 

“I think that every season,” Redick said. “Unless somebody blatantly tells me that we’re not trying to win, I think that every year. That’s why I say I’m confident. I said the same thing last year for all of January and February that we were going to figure it out at some point, and we did. And then we had some injuries.”

Redick’s not wrong.

He kept insisting that Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James would work out their kinks. Those words seemed empty at times. But eventually they shape-shifted and came together, going on a 16-2 run last spring before Doncic suffered a strained hamstring and Reaves suffered a strained oblique on April 2.

During that time, Doncic looked like the NBA’s best player, regularly delivering stunning 40-point performances. Reaves looked like an All-Star. And James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time, wholeheartedly committed to becoming the team’s third offensive option.

Redick has his work cut out for him again.

Can Walker become an All-Defense-caliber player? Can Redick unlock the potential of guys like Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Matisse Thybulle?

Redick has a way of getting through to players.

He got James to agree to be the third option for the first time in his then-23-season career. He helped Luke Kennard transform into an ephemeral star in the first round of the playoffs against the Rockets when Doncic and Reaves were sidelined. He got the best out of defensive juggernaut Marcus Smart.

It’s not far-fetched that he could work wonders with this team. It’s not out of the question that he could make them believe they’ve arrived. It’s not absurd that they could buy into the idea that their time is now.

The Lakers have arguably the best player in the league in Doncic. They have a lot of talent. They have a great coach.

But they also have holes, such as proven starting forwards and a reliable backup center. There’s a lot of questions around them. They have a lot to prove. Especially against teams that already have most things figured out.

The Thunder have been atop the league together. The Spurs tasted victory before letting it drop out of their mouths like a dog rejecting a healthy snack. 

The Lakers are seemingly behind. 

But they could get there. 

Now, being a championship-level team doesn’t necessarily mean walking away with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. That’s not what Redick is saying. There are too many variables there. 

“Being a championship-level team or being a — I don’t like the word ‘contender’ — but being a team that can make a run and can play in the playoffs and can play different ways in the playoffs, those things take time, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to be in the NBA Finals,” Redick said. “It’s just not the way this works, particularly with the way the playoffs work in terms of just matchups and what you can exploit and what you can’t exploit versus certain teams. But I think because of our talent, because of our fit, because of our depth, I really like our team.”

Redick thinks the Lakers could be elite.

They could make the league nervous. If things go right, they could become a threat. They could really be in the mix.

And right now, there’s no reason to believe him. 

But there’s also no reason to doubt him. 

The Lakers currently have 16 players on the team and not enough roster spots to retain everyone.

LA has already been actively exploring trade avenues for Jarred Vanderbilt, but have reportedly had no luck in their efforts. As Opening Night quickly approaches, the Lakers are looking to trade Dalton Knecht before the season begins.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported the latest on the Lakers’ roster battle.

“[Dalton Knecht] will not be apart of this roster long-term,” Siegel said.

Vanderbilt and Knecht have been the odd men out for a while as the new look Lakers embark on the Luka Doncic era. But it appears the Lakers are running out of options in their attempts to part ways with the former, who is currently owed $12 million as Vanderbilt is in the final year of a four-year, $48 million deal.

The Lakers have traded Knecht before in February 2025. Knecht was sent to Charlotte in exchange for center Mark Williams before the trade was rescinded.

Since the trade, Knecht has been a non-factor on the court. The Lakers had high hopes for the small forward as the team selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Knecht has shown flashes of brilliance in the purple and gold, particularly during his breakout rookie year where he averaged 18.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in the final nine games of November 2024. But his confidence seems to have vanished since the Lakers attempted to trade him to the Hornets.

Now, the Lakers are actively looking to find Knecht a better opportunity elsewhere with an inevitable roster crunch looming.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — On the eve of their final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are more concerned with getting healthy than using it as a dress rehearsal.

The Lakers have been shuffling through different lineups and players through the first four games, but haven’t gotten a clear look at their full revamped roster.

“Can’t control it, so it’s not even a concern. Play the guys who can play,” JJ Redick told reporters after practice on Thursday. “We would have loved to have gotten looks with everybody healthy and everybody good to go. But we also have to be smart with an 82-game season.”

Redick added that the decrease to five preseason games has been a blessing in disguise because it afforded Los Angeles double the amount of preseason practice time compared to seasons prior, which is more beneficial when integrating a bunch of new players.

It has also allowed more time for players to heal from injuries, which has been a storyline of these preseason.

Collin Sexton hasn’t suited up for a game and, though his status for Friday’s game against Denver is still up in the air, Redick says he is making good progress toward playing on opening night. Sexton has been dealing with what Redick labeled a lower body/leg injury. Sexton was seen in practice Thursday with his calf taped up.

Los Angeles’ struggles without a tertiary ballhandler have been evident all preseason, and that’s exactly where Sexton slots in.

Ziaire Williams, who played in only the Lakers’ first preseason game, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. He told reporters that he was dealing with some swelling in his left foot, but that it all looks good now. 

“Good,” Williams said on how he’s feeling. “It’s up to the staff now. I’m in good hands. They’ve been taking care of me. See how we feel. But yeah, it’s up to them. I’m ready to go as long as they say I am.”

Redick also noted Adou Thiero was a limited participant in practice, but that it’s just a maintenance thing for him. Cameron Carr was out on Thursday. We last heard that he was dealing with a contusion of some sorts, but haven’t been given much clarity on it.

Other than that, Redick says everyone else appears to be good to go. Asked how important it is to have as many people healthy as possible for their final preseason game, Redick said he doesn’t care about that and is more focused on getting everyone as healthy as possible for the season opener.

“It’s important, just to get game reps together, but health is key,” Williams said. “If you can’t go, you just can’t. It’s not the end of the world. … It’s not worth [it] to risk your body for a game that doesn’t count and then be out for the real game. We have a great staff who’s leading us in the right direction.”

You can follow Connor on Twitter at @cmorenoNBA.

The Knicks are back at the Garden tonight, wrapping up their preseason with a second rumble with the Raptors. On Tuesday in Toronto, the Canadian starters demolished the New York reserves by 50. In tonight’s final dress rehearsal, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the other Knicks’ starters playing, the fight should be a little more fair.

Tip off is 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is RaptorsHQ. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Extend kindness to your fellow humans. And go Knicks!