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

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.

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.

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.

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.