The Los Angeles Lakers still have an open roster spot, but they can’t use it. At least, not yet. Thanks to salary cap restrictions, they are unable to sign even a minimum-salary player until January 18.
As ESPN reported on a recently published article: “For the most part, [teams] have completed their rosters for next season or cannot sign a player due to the apron. For example, the Lakers have an open roster spot but cannot sign a player until Jan. 18.”
Lakers are being patient with their final roster decision
That puts a hard pause on any roster tweaks in the short term.