After much anticipation and swirling news reports, the LA Lakers failed to make any moves in the NBA trade deadline on February 8, 2024. In an attempt to boost team morale and spirit before their showdown with the defending champions, Denver Nuggets, General Manager Rob Pelinka offers some respite.

On the face of it, the Lakers’ Injury Report may look disappointing to some as LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) have been labeled as “questionable” while Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain), and Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) have been ruled “out” for the game. However, GM Pelinka himself delivered a sigh of relief to fans all across by announcing that Jarred Vanderbilt, who was earlier out due to a right mid-foot sprain, has been able to avoid the hula-hoop of going through surgery.

It is truly a sigh of relief for Vando and his fans. He was already tackling heel bursitis at the beginning of the season, which resulted in him missing out on various games in the pre-season and the regular season. Tragedy struck soon as Vanderbilt bounced back to perform exceptionally well for the Lakers. During the game against the Boston Celtics on February 2, the Lakers power forward Vando suffered a severe non-contact injury to his foot right before halftime.

One of Vando’s “superpowers” as per Head Coach Darvin Ham is offensive rebounding, apart from his defending abilities. Vanderbilt had been averaging 5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists during the season and also proved to be the backbone of the team when key players like James and Davis were out.

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Keeping that background in mind, Rob Pelinka deemed it fit to announce his avoidance of surgery. Will this news energize the team to battle it out with the reigning champs Nuggets? All eyes are definitely on them tonight, especially amid fans’ disappointment over the trade inactivity.

The Buy-Out Market Hope

Any trade right now by the Lakers would’ve likely proved ineffective as the Lakers only had a single first-round draft pick to the three they’ll hold in June/July. As per Jovan Buha, Pelinka seeks a “ballhandling guard” and the “best available player” on the buyout market for the Lakers.

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Currently 9th in the Western Conference with a 27-25 record, the Lakers are looking to switch things up to clinch a playoff spot. In the buyout market, the Lakers got a couple of options from Spencer Dinwiddie (waived by Toronto after being a Brooklyn trade) to Charlotte’s Kyle Lowry.

Stay tuned to find out more!

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