Prior to their first preseason game, the New York Knicks waived former Portland Trail Blazer Skal Labissiere, reports Colin Martin of SNY.TV. Meanwhile, Shams Charania of the Athletic says that the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to acquire Trevor Ariza, should he be waived. In New York, Labissiere had signed an Exhibition 10 contract.
Labissiere was signed to a G League contract, specifically an Exhibit 10 contract, on Tuesday. He played 33 games during the 2019-20 season with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging just 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
As for Ariza, he is currently signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder after several trades. Initially, Ariza was traded to the Houston Rockets for Robert Covington. The Rockets then traded him to the Detroit Pistons, before he finally landed with the Thunder.
The Lakers are monitoring Oklahoma City’s Trevor Ariza should he become available, sources say. As of now, both Ariza and George Hill are expected to begin the season on the Thunder roster. There is also interest in Hill’s services around the league.
Teams have until the start of the regular season to firm up their rosters, and teams may be allowed to dress 15 players instead of 13, should the NBA Board of Governors approve the rule change on December 17th.