The Lakers’ summer makeover brought in a new cast, but Jarred Vanderbilt somehow survived the purge.
Los Angeles has already overhauled plenty of the roster, swapping out LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Marcus Smart, among others, for Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Kevon Looney, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Vanderbilt, though, is still on the books, and the Lakers have spent the offseason trying to move him without finding much traction.
“The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but no one has been eager to take on his contract,” wrote Heavy’s Sean Deveney. “It’s possible the Lakers will use him in their rotation, much to JJ Redick’s chagrin, and attempt to trade him during the season.”
That puts the 27-year-old in a strange spot. He’s now on track for his fourth straight full season in Los Angeles after arriving in 2023, and on paper he still checks a lot of boxes.
Vanderbilt is a 6’8″ athlete with the kind of defensive instincts that can help a team bothered by perimeter shooting. Before landing with the Lakers, he had already played for three different teams.
His career numbers tell the story of a useful but limited player: 5.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 54.6% from the field. He’s always had the energy and defensive edge to give a bench unit a jolt. What he hasn’t had is reliable scoring or shooting.
That’s the part that keeps him on the edge of JJ Redick’s rotation. Vanderbilt has averaged 1.5 three-point attempts per game and hit just 29.3% of them, and that’s made it hard for him to fill the three-and-D role the Lakers were hoping for.
In the postseason, that limitation made him essentially unplayable. Without confidence or consistency as a floor spacer, he can become more of a problem than a solution.
Still, the Lakers’ push to build around Luka Doncic has made the need to move Vanderbilt more urgent. Los Angeles would reportedly be happy to turn that roster spot into someone like Dwight Powell, Kevin Love, or even De’Andre Hunter. The issue is finding a team willing to take on the contract.
The Hawks and Timberwolves are mentioned as possible landing spots, and the Lakers might have to include a second-round pick to make a deal work. If that happens, it could be the kind of extra nudge that gets a trade over the line.
Vanderbilt has two years and $25.4 million left on his deal, and he could opt out and hit free agency next summer. That leaves the Lakers with a simple conclusion: move him now if possible and avoid carrying the uncertainty into the season.
For now, the front office is still waiting for the market to open up, with February’s deadline circled as the point where something may finally break. There’s also a hope inside the organization that Vanderbilt can improve enough to raise his value and create some real interest around the league.
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