The record still reads 0-0, and nothing has moved it: no trades, no injuries, no roster changes since the last check-in. What has arrived is a calendar — preseason opens October 5 in Sacramento, and the lights go up for real on October 21, when the Warriors visit Crypto.com Arena on ESPN.
The Calendar Moves
Four preseason games chart the run-up: at Sacramento on October 5, at Golden State the next night, home against the Kings on October 8 on ESPN2, and the Warriors again on October 13. Eight days later, on October 21, the Warriors return to Crypto.com Arena for the opener, broadcast on ESPN — the first game that counts for a roster built around Dončić.
Reaves, Steady Second
Austin Reaves opens camp as the roster's clearest second option, coming off a season that averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 34.5 minutes across 51 games. With Dončić drawing the defense's first attention, Reaves' shot-making is the plan for every possession after that — a role still untested in a season that has not started.
Nineteen Names, No Cuts
Training camp still has to trim a nineteen-man roster that runs from Dončić down to two-way names like Chris Mañon, Cameron Carr and AK Okereke. No cuts, trades or signings have been logged since the group was set, leaving Redick's frontcourt mix — Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney, Jarred Vanderbilt, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jake LaRavia — as crowded on paper as it will be thin once camp opens.
When do the Lakers play their first game of the 2026-27 season?
Preseason opens October 5 at Sacramento; the regular-season opener is October 21 against the Warriors on ESPN.
What is Bronny James's role with the Lakers this season?
It has not been settled; James is back on the nineteen-man roster with no defined role reported heading into camp.
