Six Lakers Circle the Same Return Date as Golden State Comes…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Monday, October 12

The Lakers host Golden State on Tuesday for a second look after the Warriors' 124-98 win on Oct. 6, with six players — including Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton — all carrying the same return target: Tuesday's game itself. Rafael Castro's Exhibit 10 deal became official Monday, formalizing the move that pushed William Kyle III off the roster after eleven days.

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

A Second Look at Golden State

Golden State comes back to Los Angeles Tuesday with two fewer days of rest than the Lakers and a third game in the last week already in its legs, a one-game swing north with Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody both out with knee injuries. The first meeting, Oct. 6, wasn't close — Golden State won 98-124, with Sandro Mamukelashvili (15 points) and Jaden Hardy (13) the only Lakers to reach double figures. The Lakers have had four days to reset since beating Sacramento 114-110 last Thursday.

Six Names, One Date

Cameron Carr, Arthur Kaluma, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, Dalton Knecht and Ziaire Williams are all carrying the identical target of Oct. 13 on the injury list — the day Golden State visits. Kessler and Sexton are the longest-running cases, having missed all three preseason games so far; a hoopsrumors report Sunday grouped Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili among the Lakers' open starting-lineup questions heading into the back half of camp. Whether six players clear at once, or the list simply resets with new dates, is what Tuesday will answer.

Castro Makes It Official

Rafael Castro's Exhibit 10 contract became official Monday, the formal stamp on a move reported last week that waived William Kyle III after just eleven days on the roster. The open spot matters more with Kessler sidelined since camp opened — payroll sits at $201.3 million, above the league's $200.4 million tax threshold, with little room to add beyond camp bodies like Castro. His path to minutes runs through the same health questions the rest of the roster is waiting out.

Will Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton play against the Warriors?

Both are listed with an Oct. 13 return target on the Lakers' injury report, but neither has appeared in any of the first three preseason games.

Is Rafael Castro officially on the Lakers roster?

Yes — his Exhibit 10 contract was finalized Oct. 12, the same move that waived William Kyle III after eleven days with the team.

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.