Four Preseason Trips, One October 21: The Lakers' Countdown…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 16

Sacramento gets the Lakers twice next month, twice more against the Warriors, before the games that count begin. It is the first hard proof that training camp is no longer an abstraction but a countdown with dates attached.

Luka Dončić of the Lakers — Luka Dončić. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Calendar Fills In

Nothing moved for the Lakers in the last day, no trades, no injuries, no roster changes. What did arrive is structure: four preseason games in the span of nine days, at Sacramento on October 5, at Golden State on October 6, home against the Kings on October 8 on ESPN2, then the Warriors again on October 13. Every one of those is a dress rehearsal for October 21, when the regular season opens at home against Golden State on ESPN.

What It Costs to Wait

Waiting on camp does not pause the bill. The roster carries $201.3 million in salary across sixteen contracts, already past the $200.4 million tax threshold, with Dončić alone owed $49.8 million, Reaves $41.2 million, Kessler $30.2 million and Grimes $14.0 million. That price tag is the cost of building around a 27-year-old who averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists across 64 games last season.

Bronny's Blank Page

One name still has no answer attached to it. Bronny James returns for his second season on the roster, mentioned only once in passing, grouped with Kevon Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Dončić in a September 7 roundup that offered no further detail. What minutes or role he claims once camp opens is still an open question, with training camp still weeks away.

When do the Lakers play their first preseason game?

October 5 on the road against the Kings, the first of four preseason games before the regular season opens.

When is the Lakers' regular season opener, and who do they play?

October 21 at home against the Warriors, broadcast on ESPN.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.