Rob Pelinka: It's still possible Lakers make a trade by opening night

As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to start their training camp and preseason game, general manager Rob Pelinka has indicated that a trade could still be on the table before opening night. The team currently has 16 players signed to standard contracts, and NBA rules require them to have a roster of just 15 players by the start of the regular season.

While the Lakers possess solid depth, they are lacking a true starting-level two-way forward. General manager Pelinka has pursued forward Jonathan Kuminga throughout the summer, and if they had acquired him, they could have also trimmed down their roster to the mandated 15 players.

At a recent press conference, Pelinka stated, "The spirit of competition has been great, and to some extent, 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." He added that there are "consolidation trades that can still be looked at, trading two guys out, bringing one in." The Lakers will find out more about these possibilities within the next month, before their first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on October 5th.