The Los Angeles Lakers already made more moves than perhaps most expected they would this summer. The Lakers aren’t done trying.
L.A. has a bit of roster crunch on its hands with 16 players on the team, one more than the NBA-mandated limit. While the Lakers could cut one player and move on, that isn’t the most favorable move simply because the team still has roster needs to address.
One area of concern is the power forward position, and that brings swingman Jarred Vanderbilt under the spotlight. Vanderbilt, 27, has been the subject of NBA trade rumors this offseason with the Lakers needing to find a starting power forward. Vanderbilt has demonstrated in the past that he can be a dependable option, but injuries and inconsistent play has docked his value in L.A.
Lakers Trying to Make a Move
Some fans may still be high on Vanderbilt, who was acquired ahead of a busy 2023 trade deadline. Vanderbilt has struggled to recapture the momentum he had in his first season as a Laker, when he was shooting with confidence and rising as a defensive anchor.
According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, the team has struggled to move Vanderbilt this offseason.
“… Assuming that Vando does start this season as a Laker and is a Laker for the entirety of the season. Obviously, it’s in flux right now. The Lakers have been shopping him for quite a while. 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.”
Simply put, Vanderbilt’s recent track record and substantial contract figure has made him challenging to trade. Vanderbilt still has $26 million remaining on his four-year, $48 million contract. That is no small number, especially in today’s apron era.
The Lakers would find it much easier to trade Vanderbilt if they attached picks in a deal to entice a team to absorb the veteran forward’s salary. But that’s exactly the other problem. The Lakers are far from asset-rich and can’t afford to toss around the few draft picks they have at their disposal.
Two Players Could Be Out the Door Soon
The Lakers’ chances of dealing Vanderbilt are very much in question, but if they managed to unload him to another team, another player who could follow suit is guard Dalton Knecht.
As the California Post’s Valentina Martinez noted, Vanderbilt and Knecht clearly stand out as trade candidates.
“Vanderbilt has two years remaining on his $48 million contract, which makes trading or waiving the forward more difficult for the Lakers,” Martinez wrote. “Knecht is entering his third year in the league and is still on his rookie deal.”
“The 25-year-old has failed to be a reliable or relevant piece for the Lakers, though, since the Hornets trade was rescinded,” Martinez wrote of Knecht. “Knecht had received less playing time because of the lack of production, which is likely why the Lakers are shopping their once highly touted first-round pick.”
Unlike Vanderbilt, there may be a team out there willing to bet on Knecht, who is only entering his third season and is still a developing player.
For the Lakers, moving Vanderbilt would instantly prove beneficial in many ways, starting with the added financial flexibility it would give them to make moves in the near future.
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