The Los Angeles Lakers have a few roster decisions to make before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, and outside of the expected move of waiving Dalton Knecht, a Jarred Vanderbilt trade is the other move the team is hopeful to complete.
Vanderbilt has been on the outside of the Lakers rotation for the past few seasons, and the franchise has reportedly been trying to trade both him and Knecht for the past two years.
So far, that hasn’t happened.
However, speaking at a recent press conference, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka didn’t rule out a ‘2 for 1’ consolidation trade to get under the 15-man roster limit while also bringing in new talent. If Los Angeles did make a trade like that, for either a new starting power forward or backup center, it’s expected Vanderbilt would be included in that deal.
Lakers Urged To Finally Make Jarred Vanderbilt Trade
Despite several failed attempts at a Vanderbilt trade, he remains on the Lakers roster, set to be owed more than $12 million this season and with a player option for roughly $13 million next year.
He’s been phased out of the rotation, but if the Lakers could get anything back for him in return, that would be an ideal scenario.
Writing for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley urged the Lakers to trade Vanderbilt at some point this season, as it’s now become clear he is being wasted on the roster and could potentially bring back a decent player in return.
“If Knecht gets cut, that means his fellow chopping-block resident, Vanderbilt, holds solo status as the most logical trade candidate on the roster,” he wrote. “The Lakers have clearly concluded that Vanderbilt’s defensive impact can’t offset his offensive limitations, but other teams could compute things differently. The right suitor might see him as capable of getting back to being a defense-first energizer.”
The Lakers would likely love to get off Vanderbilt’s contract through a trade, but considering they’ve made multiple attempts to do so in the past, none of which have panned out, the idea of moving him is a lot easier said than done.
Vanderbilt hasn’t proven he’s worth the money he’s getting paid, in part due to the limited opportunities he’s had in Los Angeles over the past few years. With that, he just doesn’t have a high enough value in the NBA, meaning he’s likely stuck on the roster at least until next season, when he becomes an expiring contract.
“Vanderbilt coming in at around $12.4 million right after that is the unfortunate set of circumstances that everyone rightfully views it as. That is a deal no franchises are jumping to take off the Lakers’ hands,” Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote for LakeShowLife on a potential Vanderbilt trade. “Rob Pelinka has tried. There were murmurings throughout the offseason of attempting to package Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht in an outgoing trade to bring back someone who could contribute for the Lakers. Unsurprisingly, nothing came of it.”
Trade Idea To Get PJ Washington In Los Angeles
If somehow the Lakers can package Vanderbilt and Knecht (who is likely off the roster before the season) in a trade, there is one player in particular who could be the perfect player to go after: PJ Washington of the Dallas Mavericks.
As a former teammate of Lakers star Luka Doncic, Washington is the exact type of forward who plays well with the Slovenian. He’s an athletic rim-runner who can play solid defense, and he would likely slide into the team’s open starting power forward spot.
Writing for Basketnews.com, Pijus Sapetka outlined a Lakers trade idea for Washington that would cut ties with Vanderbilt and Knecht, in what would be a win-win-win proposal for Los Angeles to get off the two players, get to the 15-man roster limit, and add a proven contributor in the starting lineup.
Here’s his Lakers trade proposal:
Los Angeles Lakers receive: PJ Washington
Dallas Mavericks receive: Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a 2032 second-round pick (originally from the Washington Wizards)
Speaking about a potential Washington trade, Lakers reporter Jovan Buha made it clear that adding the forward would be good for Los Angeles going forward. He has the exact skill set they are looking for, and though his shooting isn’t high-level, landing someone of his caliber for two players outside the rotation would be ideal for the Doncic-led team.
“I mean, sign me up for this in a heartbeat,” Buha said about a trade idea similar to this one.
Though a deal like this would be great for the Lakers, it feels unlikely at this point. Regardless of how hard the front office tries to trade Vanderbilt, he doesn’t have high enough value to match his contract.
There’s still a real chance he is moved at some point this season, but it likely will be for an expiring contract rather than a top target for Los Angeles.
The Lakers took a risk signing Vanderbilt to a new deal, and right now, they are paying the price, as he’ll be taking up $12.4 million on the books while sitting on the bench for a large majority of the upcoming season.
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