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5 Lakers Still on Thin Ice After Surviving the Trade Deadline

By Cem Yolbulan

Jan 30, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (R) reacts on the bench after a basket by Lakers guard Bronny James (not pictured) against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 30, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (R) reacts on the bench after a basket by Lakers guard Bronny James (not pictured) against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Jarred Vanderbilt

The Los Angeles Lakers went all-in on offense at the trade deadline. The trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves provides a scary combination of ballhandling, scoring, and passing. Combine that with the high-level rim-running and finishing threat of Mark Williams, and the Lakers should be an elite offense immediately. 

The defensive side of the ball, however, remains a big question mark. Anthony Davis is obviously going to be hard to replace and the Lakers didn’t acquire a defensive difference maker. They are hoping that Williams could become that two-way impact player but he is still a work in progress on the defensive end of the floor.

That leaves a lot of burden on Jarred Vanderbilt. The Lakers desperately need Vando defensively. Upon his return from a one-year absence, the 25-year-old has looked solid in the five games he played. Whether he can stay healthy and play a lot of minutes, however, remains to be seen. 

Plus, Vando is a limited offensive player. Having him out there at the same time as a non-shooting center like Williams is not optimal for spacing. He needs to get to a level where he can survive offensively to be a viable rotation option. 

If he can’t do that, Vando is a prime candidate to be traded in the offseason. He has three more seasons under contract after this and the Lakers don’t have the luxury to pay him over $11 million next year. 

Jaxson Hayes

Now that the Lakers made their big move for a center, Jaxson Hayes is firmly in the rotation as the backup five. When healthy, Mark Williams will start and play as many minutes as he can handle but his track record suggests that he will likely miss games due to injury. Plus, he hasn’t shown an ability to handle a big workload, playing over 30 minutes per game for an extended period of time.

That means that Hayes will continue to have a role in bench units. JJ Redick will surely experiment with small lineups that have LeBron, Hachimura, and Finney-Smith at the five, but Luka Doncic likes to play with rim-running centers who can finish lobs.

Hayes certainly fits that mold. It is understandable that the Lakers would want to keep him around to see if he and Doncic can build chemistry. 

At the same time, the 24-year-old hasn’t shown much throughout his six-year NBA career that justifies a big role. His contract expires at the end of the season and unless he reaches new heights after the deadline for the new-look Lakers, he should be elsewhere next season.

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