As with most NBA offseasons, the early summertime action has brought several changes to the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster. After saying goodbye to several veterans, the Lakers have injected the likes of Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and rookie Adou Thiero into head coach JJ Redick’s lineup, making it interesting to see if those moves will be enough to bring a title back to L.A.

Of the team’s newest additions, Thiero is one whom Lakers fans are the most excited to see in action. After all, general manager Rob Pelinka used a ton of cash to trade up twice to land the former Arkansas product last month, and all signs point to Thiero having the potential to be a serious NBA contributor one day.

Although it likely won’t be until another few years for Thiero’s full potential to be known, the Lakers rookie’s presence is already pushing one of his veteran teammates out of town.

Lakers Rookie Adou Thiero Has Made Shake Milton Expendable

Shake Milton is one of the handful of Los Angeles veterans who entered the 2025 NBA offseason on thin ice. The former SMU guard was largely invisible after joining the Lakers as a part of the Dorian Finney-Smith trade with the Brooklyn Nets, averaging only 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and .433/.294/.846 shooting splits in 30 games.

Despite the awful performance, Milton still has two years remaining on his contract and will carry a $3 million cap hit in 2025-26. The good news is that the Lakers can cut ties with the slumping veteran this summer, especially if they want to send him packing sooner rather than later.

After all, Milton’s $3 million salary won’t be guaranteed until July 20, giving the Lakers just under two weeks to decide what they want to do with him. Given how he performed in the second half of last season, GM Pelinka is better off cutting ties with the 28-year-old guard immediately instead of drawing things out.

The Lakers’ decision to send Milton packing should be even easier now that Thiero is in the fold. The 21-year-old rookie is an athletic wing capable of playing shooting guard and small forward minutes. He’s a bit of a project shooter; however, he could quickly realize his potential with a former NBA sharpshooter like Redick in his ear.

Even if he isn’t ready to be thrust into a big role, Thiero can easily handle taking over Milton’s minutes from last season. He only averaged 11.5 minutes per night after being traded to the Lakers, with a lot of those opportunities coming in garbage time. That’s the type of low-stakes situation that could give Thiero the confidence he needs to reach his potential.

According to NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, the Lakers will have access to the full $5.1 million bi-annual exception if they waive Milton. Considering how there are still notable free agents who’d be well worth the BAE (Al Horford, Chris Boucher, Malcolm Brogdon, etc.), kicking the veteran guard to the curb makes even more sense for Los Angeles.

As Thiero prepares to begin what will, hopefully, be a long and successful run with the Lakers, fans shouldn’t be surprised if Milton isn’t on the roster for much longer.