Jarred Vanderbilt's contract with the Los Angeles Lakers remains a problem, one the organization will eventually have to figure out.
Not only do the Lakers have Vanderbilt on the roster next season under contract, but he's also signed for the following campaign, a problem that continues to arise in Los Angeles.
While the Lakers have put him in multiple trade packages, at least according to reports, it doesn't sound like any team is interested in taking on his money.
According to the latest report, the Lakers and Atlanta Hawks had actually discussed a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade involving Vanderbilt and a first-round pick, but the Hawks didn't want to take back Vanderbilt's $13.29 million contract for the 2027-28 campaign.
“The Lakers and Hawks had discussions on a Kuminga sign-and-trade that would’ve involved Jarred Vanderbilt and a Los Angeles 2032 first-round pick swap, as Khobi Price of the California Post first reported. However, the Hawks have been resistant to taking on Vanderbilt’s $13.29 million salary for the 2027-28 season, which is a player option,” Michael Scotto wrote.
I don't know how much I blame the Hawks for not wanting to take on Vanderbilt's money. Again, I don't think he's as bad as some have made him out to be, but he's definitely not a great player.
At nearly $15 million per year, he's neither expensive nor cheap. If his offensive game were a bit better, I think we'd be looking at a player the Lakers would want to keep, but there are some injury issues and a lack of offensive game that are clearly becoming problems for teams.
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