Los Angeles Lakers Reportedly Open To Trading Key Player

Jovan Buha of The Athletic spoke about the upcoming offseason for the Lakers on his podcast.

Apr 14, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during warmups before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Jarred Vanderbilt is coming off a solid season where he averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 51.8% from the field.

However, the former Kentucky star only appeared in 29 games, so his absence was a significant void for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Recently, Jovan Buha of The Athletic spoke about the upcoming offseason for the Lakers (on his podcast Buha's Block).

He revealed that the Lakers would be open to moving Vanderbilt in a trade this summer.

Via Buha: "When looking at the mid-size salaries, the guy they would love to keep is Austin Reaves. I think everyone else is movable to an extent. So, they're gonna try and use some of those guys. Be it, Rui and Vando, Rui and Gabe, Rui and D-Lo, if D-Lo is available to be traded."

Vanderbilt has played part of two seasons with the Lakers after getting traded (via the Utah Jazz) in the middle of the 2023 season.

In addition to Utah and Los Angeles, Vanderbilt has also spent time with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves over his six years in the NBA.

His career averages are 6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 56.8% from the field in 273 regular season games.

He helped the Lakers reach the Western Conference finals in 2023.

The Lakers are open to discussing deals centered around Jarred Vanderbilt, per @jovanbuha

(h/t @VinoUncorked ) pic.twitter.com/OesYKmXiem

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 29, 2024

The Lakers are coming off a year where they lost to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the first round (in five games).