Lakers get bad trade update for $48M elite defensive menace, versatile forward seeking fresh start

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently one player over the allowed roster limit for the upcoming season. It is an unfortunate position for the team to be in, especially because it has been difficult for them to find trade partners willing to help them get under the limit.

The Lakers have been trying to make moves but have not been successful. Since the start of the offseason, LA has been trying to shop Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt.

“The Lakers are actively shopping Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade talks. After gaining two second-round picks in the Deandre Ayton trade, Los Angeles could consolidate those assets in a deal immediately for a starting-caliber wing," NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.

It has not been easy, as there are minimal teams that want to take on Vanderbilt and his contract. Lake Show Life’s Syvatoslav Rovenchuk believes that not trading Vanderbilt by now should be considered an offseason failure.

“The failure to move on from Vanderbilt will be a touch disappointing for Lakers fans. Given the nuanced lack of leverage in both scenarios where Los Angeles might have done it, it is a justifiable failure,” Rovenchuk wrote.

Vanderbilt is great on the defensive side of the ball, but his offensive production simply has not been enough. Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney recently reported that another reason Vanderbilt has not been traded is because the Lakers lack other pieces to include in a deal with the veteran.

“The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but it has been a stubborn market as no one has been eager to take on his contract. It’s possible the Lakers will use him in their rotation, much to JJ Redick’s chagrin, and attempt to trade him during the NBA season. Taking on the second year will get more palatable as this year goes on. One issue: The Lakers lack assets to attach to Vanderbilt to entice another team to take him,” Deveney wrote.

If the Lakers cannot reach a trade agreement with another team, whether it involves Vanderbilt or someone else, they will have to make a roster move. The veteran appears to be safe from being waived, but he could be viewed as a trade piece throughout the entire season.

Vanderbilt is entering the final year of his $48 million contract. For now, LA does not have anywhere to go with Vanderbilt, but the team is willing to do whatever it takes to find him a new home this season.