The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the busier teams this offseason -- one that I've really liked. Just in case you've been living under a rock, here is a quick summary: LeBron James got a divorce and moved to the East Coast, the Lakers executed a sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler, they used their cap space to sign Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Matisse Thybulle (among others), drafted Cameron Carr with the 24th overall pick, had their team change owners in the most bizarre way possible, and traded away Deandre Ayton.
However, despite all of these transactions, the Lakers still have at least one more move they have to make. And given their status as the most famous team in league history, it is worth talking about.
The Lakers have to make a cut
As a high school coach, I can tell you that nothing sucks more than making cuts. And if it is miserable for me (who is cutting kids who have to pay to play), I can only imagine how it feels to make this kind of decision when it comes to someone's livelihood.
The Lakers currently have 16 players on their roster -- one over the 15 you are allowed to carry during the regular season. As reported by NBA Insider Jake Fischer, it seems that the last spot is currently between Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht. Fortunately, both of these guys are already on guaranteed deals, so they are going to have to pay them rather than release them, but is still sucks that one of these familiar faces will no longer be playing for the Purple and Gold.
Knecht got off to a strong start in 2024-25 (his rookie season), averaging 13.6 points per game on 66.3 percent true shooting in the month of November (14 games). However, for some reason, the sharpshooter saw a dip in his efficiency, couple this with his subpar defense, and you have a recipe for head coach JJ Redick losing faith in the youngster. His minutes slowly started to dwindle, to the point where he played just four minutes in their first round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This trend continued during his sophomore campaign.
Vanderbilt has been with the Lakers since the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline. He played a huge role in helping catapult this team from play-in fodder to a Western Conference Finalist that year. However, injuries and an inability to truly contribute on the offensive end of the floor led to him falling down the depth chart. Last season, Vanderbilt played just 75 minutes over the course of the team's ten playoff games.
Vanderbilt is the pricier player. He's owed nearly $26 million over the next two years. Meanwhile, Knecht is owed $4.2 million next year. Then, he has a team option for $6.5 million in 2027-28 that the team can decline. In theory, the team would prefer to get off Vanderbilt to help clear up their books for next summer (technically, they'd like to package both of them for some more forward depth, but that probably isn't happening).
However, for the same reason the Lakers may prefer to get off Vanderbilt, it will probably be harder to get off him. He's older, has a more concerning history of injuries, and few teams really have the salary cap to swallow his contract. A team can talk themselves into taking a flyer on Knecht (two years younger), and, if it doesn't work out, they probably already declined his team option anyway.
Knecht is the guy who is probably on his way out. This isn't terrible news for the Lakers. They are lacking in forward depth, and could use Vanderbilt's defense and athleticism to eat some innings at that position during the regular season.
The bottom line is that the Lakers continue to be a team to monitor as we creep closer to the start of training camp. Let's see what they decide to do next.
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