Lakers Sign Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones: Overseas Scoring Threat Joins Roster Shakeup

A Busy Wednesday in Lakerland Roster bubble season is never pretty, and the Lakers just proved it. In a single day, LA waived two players, signed two more, and watched one new addition walk right back out the door. The headline move: guard/forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is in, and guard Jahmir Young is out.

Who Is Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones? If you haven't heard the name, that's about to change. The 25-year-old New Zealander went undrafted in 2025 after a standout college career at UC San Diego, where he was named Big West Player of the Year and tournament MVP as the Tritons won their first-ever conference regular-season and tournament titles. Impressive, but it's what he did next that really stands out.

Tait-Jones took his game overseas to Latvian club Valmiera Glass VIA and torched the competition, averaging 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. The payoff: Valmiera swept the Latvian Cup, the Latvian league, and the Latvian-Estonian League in the same season, with Tait-Jones taking home Final MVP honors in that last one. That's not just a good year — that's a winning resume most undrafted prospects can only dream of.

Why the Lakers Are Betting on Him At 6-foot-6, Tait-Jones has the size to play multiple perimeter spots, and his production at every level he's touched — college conference champ, European league champ — suggests a player who knows how to win, even if he hasn't logged an NBA regular-season minute yet. For a Lakers team still figuring out its depth chart, that kind of proven winning pedigree is worth a flyer, especially on what's likely a two-way or minimum deal while they evaluate fit.

The Numbers Game Behind the Move Here's the real story under the story: the Lakers are still carrying 16 guaranteed contracts, one more than the NBA allows on opening night rosters. That means more moves are coming, and fast. Waiving Jahmir Young — who had been building a case off his G League success — was one step toward compliance, but it won't be the last. Expect at least one more cut before the Lakers tip off the regular season.

What to Watch Next Tait-Jones now gets the chance every undrafted overseas standout wants: a real look in an NBA system. Whether that turns into a roster spot, a two-way deal, or just training camp reps remains to be seen, but his track record of winning titles wherever he lands makes him a name worth tracking as the Lakers finalize their 2026-27 roster.