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• Updated May 18, 2026 at 7:37pm

The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to make big moves this summer, and some names may have to leave the team to make it happen. Free agents currently on the roster include LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, and Jaxson Hayes are noteworthy names that require new contracts to stay with the franchise. Despite having a lot of money to spend, the Lakers will need to be creative to keep everyone and add some new names.

Lake Show Life made an interesting point about how important it may be to trade Jarred Vanderbilt to open more spending money:

“Los Angeles was 2.2 points per 100 possessions better this season with Vando on the bench. He can’t space the floor and offers very little on offense.  The Lakers had outstanding chemistry this season, and Vando is known for being a favorite among his teammates.  Anthony Edwards has swung the forward’s praises after their time together in Minnesota. Vibes are important, but Vanderbilt makes too much money to remain in Los Angeles.”

The report notes that Vanderbilt is popular in the locker room and adds a lot of positives for his teammates. However, he makes over $12 million next season and has a player option to return for another. Trading away Vanderbilt allows the Lakers to prioritize spending on more important names.

Former Team Might Have Interest In Vanderbilt

Lake Show Life cited that Vanderbilt was also popular during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. All-NBA shooting guard Anthony Edwards has praised Vanderbilt in the past and could make Minnesota the perfect place to trade him to.

The Timberwolves are expected to trade Julius Randle and will look to prioritize a point guard since they lack viable alongside Edwards. Minnesota could try to get back Vanderbilt to help replace the minutes from Randle if they trade Julius for a different position.

Other teams would have interest in adding an athletic wing player, but he clearly fell out of favor with head coach JJ Redick. The Lakers didn’t trust Vanderbilt’s minutes during the postseason in a year where injuries ravaged their depth. It is hard to see him getting more playing time in Los Angeles once they add more talent.

Lakers Game Plan For Upcoming Offseason

The Lakers will first look to sign Reaves to a long-term contract extension after he played All-Star caliber basketball. General Manager Rob Pelinka will next have to sign LeBron, and there is hope that he will take a discounted deal to improve the title contending hopes.

Various teams will likely try to speak to some of the other Lakers’ free agents, so the market will dictate how much they pay to names like Kennard, Smart and Hayes. However, the team also wants to add some new players via trading and free agency.

The hope is to add more defensive wing players to better fit Luka Doncic’s playing style. All these plans make it impossible to keep names like Vanderbilt and DeAndre Ayton, even if they want to stay. Expect the Lakers to be active on the trade block all summer to ensure their chances of success.