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Lakers waive Roscoe Smith and Jabari Brown, trim roster to 15

Lakers guard Jabari Brown loses the ball during an exhibition game against Utah last October.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
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The Lakers have trimmed their roster down to the regular-season maximum of 15 players, waiving rookies Roscoe Smith and Jabari Brown on Saturday.

Smith, a small forward from UNLV, averaged 3.1 points with 3.1 rebounds in seven preseason appearances.

Brown, a guard from Missouri, played just 22 minutes in four exhibition games, scoring five points with an assist.

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The Lakers have 13 players with fully guaranteed contracts heading into the 2014-15 regular season.

While both have made the team’s initial roster, point guard Ronnie Price and shooting guard Wayne Ellington are non-guaranteed until Nov. 15, at which point a salary of a little over $300,000 apiece locks in.

Price’s guaranteed pay will step up to $658,405 if he’s on the team as of Dec 15. Should Ellington stick to Dec. 1, $581,692 of his salary will be guaranteed.

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With Steve Nash ruled out for the season with chronic back issues, Price is expected to be a primary rotation player and possible starter.

Ellington struggled to hit shots through the preseason, averaging 7.2 points on just 30.0% shooting from the field and 20.0% from three-point range. He suffered a concussion Friday in a collision with Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore.

Should the Lakers choose to bring in an additional point guard, Ellington’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.

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Price also was injured in the team’s final preseason game, suffering what appeared to be a knee contusion in the first quarter.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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