The Lakers’ offseason has already been busy, and the latest twist involves two players whose names keep surfacing in trade chatter. Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht were both in Las Vegas for Summer League, even as Los Angeles continues to explore ways to reshape the roster.
That’s a little unexpected given where things stand. The Lakers have been active all summer after LeBron James announced he would not be returning, and the front office has already made several moves. Los Angeles acquired Walker Kessler in a trade with the Utah Jazz, then added Colin Sexton and Quentin Grimes while also bringing back Austin Reaves.
Still, the roster work is not done. NBA reporter Evan Sidery said 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,”
Knecht’s situation has been especially unusual. The former first-round pick started his rookie year strongly, then briefly found himself headed to the Charlotte Hornets before that deal was rescinded.
“In the span of a week, Dalton Knecht went from playing for the Los Angeles Lakers to joining the Charlotte Hornets to going back to the Lakers after the trade that sent him to Charlotte was rescinded,” ESPN insider Dave McMenamin wrote. “Knecht said he was at the Lakers' practice facility on Feb. 5 going through his normal routine before his shooting drills -- needing to make 25 shots from the foul line -- when he was interrupted after his 20th free throw.”
The Lakers even acknowledged Vanderbilt and Knecht’s presence in Las Vegas, posting, “The Lakers pulled up to support the summer squad,”
Their contracts add up to $66 million, and the team appears to be exploring the possibility of moving them together. No deal has been completed yet, but the speculation has clearly not stopped either player from showing up around the organization.
For now, Vanderbilt and Knecht remain Lakers, and their decision to be in Las Vegas says plenty about how they’re handling the uncertainty.
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