The front office built the roster around Luka Doncic this summer, but a few contracts on the books could become trade chips before the February deadline.
The trade deadline does not arrive until February, but the Los Angeles Lakers front office is already sorting through its roster to figure out which players could bring back real value between now and then.
Building around guard Luka Doncic has been the whole point of the offseason, and every move the team has made since the trade was that much closer to getting the right pieces around him.
The problem is that some of the contracts still on the books do not fit the timeline, and rival executives know it.
Vanderbilt's Contract Is the Biggest Question
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt carries roughly $24 million over the final two years of his contract, and by multiple accounts the Lakers have had trouble finding a willing partner for him.
The versatility that made Vanderbilt attractive a few years ago has not translated into consistent production, and teams around the league are hesitant to take on that much money for a player whose role shrinks on a roster built around a ball-dominant star like Doncic.
The front office would love to move his salary to create flexibility for a midseason addition, but the market has not cooperated so far.
Jovan Buha of Buha's Block reported this offseason that "the Lakers need to dump someone" from the current roster to get their cap sheet in order, and Vanderbilt's name has been at the top of that conversation for weeks.
Finding a trade partner willing to absorb the deal without the Lakers attaching a pick would be ideal, but that scenario is looking less and less realistic as training camp approaches.
Knecht Has Gone From First-Round Pick to Trade Chip
Guard Dalton Knecht averaged just 4.2 points per game last season, and the development the Lakers were hoping to see from the 2024 first-round pick has been slower than expected.
Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers are actively shopping both Knecht and Vanderbilt, which is a real shift in how the organization views a player they selected 17th overall less than two years ago.
Knecht's trade value is limited by those numbers, but he is still young enough and cheap enough that a team looking for upside might be willing to take a swing.
The Lakers are not in a position to give away assets, but keeping a player on the roster who cannot crack the rotation behind Doncic and Austin Reaves is not doing anyone any favors either.
What the Front Office Needs in Return
The Lakers do not need to turn these contracts into a star.
What they need is flexibility and fit.
A wing defender who can guard bigger assignments would help shore up the one area of the roster that still looks thin heading into the season, and any return that opens up a roster spot or a future pick would give the front office more room to maneuver at the deadline.
The reality is that building around Doncic means making hard choices about the players who were brought in for a different version of this team.
Vanderbilt and Knecht both have value somewhere in the league, and the Lakers' job over the next five months is to find the teams willing to pay the price the front office is looking for.
