The Lakers signed Watson to an Exhibit 10 deal Thursday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Kessler was highlighted as a strong fit with Luka Doncic after the Lakers paid a steep price to acquire him, Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports reports.
Grimes figures to have an opportunity to fill the two-way role the Lakers need on the perimeter, with his defensive ability potentially being just as important as his production on the offensive end, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Reed could have a hard time cracking San Antonio's Opening Night rotation.
Doncic (hamstring) recently stated he is "100% healthy again," Dan Woike of The Athletic reports.
Knecht could receive a larger offensive opportunity following LeBron James' departure, as the Lakers have significant scoring to replace, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports.
LaRavia could see an expanded role following LeBron James' departure, though the Lakers' additions of Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Sandro Mamukelashvili should create added competition for frontcourt minute, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Vanderbilt should continue to provide defensive value after LeBron James' exit from the Lakers, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jones Garcia (ankle) agreed to a two-way contract with the Spurs on Wednesday, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com.
Kaluma agreed to a two-way deal with the Lakers on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
There's iffy status for Wemby tonight but that's not going to steer us clear of San Antonio's side. Remember, Wemby missed the last meeting four weeks ago at Crypto.com, when the Spurs ran the Lakers ragged in an NBA Cup quarterfinal, scoring 70 points in the first half and hitting 50% of their shots for the night. Fundamentals just look all wrong for LA in this matchup, their acknowledged slowness on the perimeter exploited by SA's electric guards like Stephon Castle, who scored 30 in that last meeting. Besides, we're not letting the Lakers' mini three-game win streak vs. subpar Memphis and New Orleans move the needle too much in our assessment of the Lake Show, whose defensive issues remain a concern. Play Spurs
Spurs center Luke Kornet scored just four points with seven rebounds in Tuesday's loss at Memphis, but this is an easier matchup. Victor Wembanyama is no lock to play on the second night of a back-to-back, but even if he does, his minutes will be limited. Wembanyama played 21 minutes against the Grizzlies. Look for Kornet to clear this prop total for the sixth time in seven games.
DraftKings/Caesar’s (-126). Julian Champagnie has cleared this line in 11 of the last 15 games he’s played at least 26 minutes. Coming off the front end of a back to back, I don’t expect Victory Wembanyama to suit up tonight, and Devin Vassell is also another question mark for the Spurs. Champagnie has been too good as is for the Spurs to take him off the floor, and tonight is another plus matchup for him. The Lakers rank 24th defensively, and Champagnie has recorded 21 and 23 points plus rebounds against them this season. I’d bet this up to over 18.5.
