Lakers waive Rafael Castro and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones before roster deadline
Los Angeles cut two preseason additions on October 17 but still faced a decision on its standard-contract roster before opening the regular season against Golden State.
The Los Angeles Lakers waived Rafael Castro and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones on Saturday, October 17, as they worked to meet the NBA’s regular-season roster limit before their opener against the Golden State Warriors. Lakers Wire reported the team’s announcement through ESPN’s Dave McMenamin; HoopsRumors separately reported the waivers, citing The Athletic’s Law Murray. The cuts left another roster decision ahead, according to HoopsRumors.
Why the Lakers still faced another roster move
Lakers Wire reported that Los Angeles had 16 players on standard contracts and needed to get down to 15. HoopsRumors said the team still had more than 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts after placing Castro and Tait-Jones on waivers, so at least one further transaction was needed to comply with the rules for the start of the season. The two cuts therefore did not settle the remaining decision over a guaranteed contract.
HoopsRumors reported that the Lakers were exploring trades to avoid waiving a player whose salary was guaranteed. It identified Dalton Knecht as a possible trade or cut candidate and said the remaining move might come on Sunday or Monday. Those were reported possibilities; no further transaction was established in the October 17 reports.
Coach JJ Redick described how the roster’s needs had changed when discussing Knecht, according to MARCA. ‘The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years,’ Redick said. MARCA reported that he also pointed to greater competition on the wing. His remarks did not confirm that Knecht would leave.
Castro and Tait-Jones after the waivers
Castro, a 6-foot-11 center who went undrafted out of George Washington University in June, appeared in two Lakers preseason games. Across 16 minutes, he recorded two points, five rebounds, one assist and one block, Lakers Wire reported. The outlet said he had averaged 15.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in his final season at George Washington.
Tait-Jones, a 6-foot-6 New Zealand forward, played last season for Valmiera Glass VIA in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League. Lakers Wire reported that he won a league championship and the finals MVP award there. He had previously played college basketball at Hawaiʻi at Hilo and UC San Diego before going undrafted in 2025.
HoopsRumors said both waived players appeared likely to join the Coachella Valley Lakers in the G League, though it reported that as an expectation rather than a completed assignment. Los Angeles had finished its five-game preseason schedule and was preparing to open against Golden State on Wednesday, according to Lakers Wire.
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Sources and context
- The Lakers have cut two players from their rosterLakers Wire, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Grizzlies Waive Zach Cleveland; Lakers Cut Two PlayersHoopsRumors
- JJ Redick hints at final roster cut ahead of Lakers’ season opener vs. WarriorsMARCA
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.