The Los Angeles Lakers have been looking to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for the entire summer, and though there were hopes he could have been involved in a deal for Jonathan Kuminga, the forward remains on the roster heading into the season.
Ever since he was first named in Lakers trade rumors, Vanderbilt’s future in the Purple and Gold has been uncertain.
However, after new reports, the wing player looks to be in limbo more than ever before, as it looks as though the Lakers are doing everything they can to move him after slowly sliding out of the team’s rotation over the past few years.
Jarred Vanderbilt Trade Rumors Are Real
At times, it’s tough to tell which NBA trade rumors are real, and which ones aren’t.
However, that is not the case with Vanderbilt, as it’s been long reported that the Lakers are looking to move away from the 27-year-old and his four-year, $48 million deal, which just hasn’t worked out in Los Angeles over the past few years.
The reports on Vanderbilt’s uncertain future have peaked after several NBA insiders recently revealed the Lakers have been trying to trade him for a while.
“The Lakers have been shopping him for quite a while,” Jovan Buha said of Vanderbilt trade rumors. “We’ll see if they can pull off a move. They’re gonna have to do something before the start of the regular season, be it waiving a player or doing some sort of trade to get the roster from 16 players to 15.”
“They’ve been trying to move those two for quite some time. I don’t expect anything to happen in Laker Land before the season begins,” Brett Siegel wrote on X in response to a fan question about Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht‘s uncertain Lakers future.
Jake Fischer and Marc Stein have also reported that the forward’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors for the past few months.
Despite not being able to move him just yet, and signs pointing to Vanderbilt staying in place for the time being, it’s clear the Lakers want to trade him, but just haven’t found a suitor yet.
Lakers Forward Faces Tough Battle Ahead
With all of that being said, assuming the Lakers keep Vanderbilt on the roster to start the 2026-27 season, he’ll have a lot of work to do to hold onto his spot on the team.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Tyler Watts believes that though Vanderbilt is a real candidate to become the Lakers’ starting power forward next season, he could also be fighting to hold onto a spot in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
“The Los Angeles Lakers were rumored to be offering Jarred Vanderbilt in trades this summer, but couldn’t find a deal. They have forward minutes to fill, and now Vando has another shot to crack the rotation. If he doesn’t, this will be his final year with the Lakers,” he wrote. “The Los Angeles Lakers were rumored to be offering (subscription required) Jarred Vanderbilt in trades this summer, but couldn’t find a deal. They have forward minutes to fill, and now Vando has another shot to crack the rotation. If he doesn’t, this will be his final year with the Lakers.”
Vanderbilt has a player option next season for roughly $12 million, which he is expected to pick up. That could be bad news for the Lakers, especially if he remains in a minor bench role.
However, there is a chance he could slide into the starting power forward position, an unlikely conclusion to his trade rumors saga, but one that can’t be ruled out.
So, with all of this being said, it’s prove-it time for Vanderbilt this season in Los Angeles. If not, the Lakers will likely move him for very minimal assets or another expiring contract.
“The 6’8 isn’t on a minimum contract. He is the sixth-highest-paid player on the team. Every dollar counts in the second apron era,” Watts added. “Depth and rookie scale contracts are more important than ever. The Lakers can’t be dishing out $12.4 million to someone who isn’t part of the nightly rotation if they want to be a serious title contender…Vanderbilt is playing for his future with the Lakers.”
Despite not playing a big role on the squad over the past few years, if Vanderbilt doesn’t perform, he could significantly hinder the team’s ceiling over the next two seasons.
Jarred Vanderbilt Put On Blast As Lakers Trade Rumors Are Confirmed