Lakerholics

The Lakers trade expiring contracts and unprotected first round picks to the Detroit Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, and Nerlens Noel and to the Utah Jazz for Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Kelly Olynyk.

The two Lakers’ trades transforms the Lakers’ roster, sending out seven players on expiring contracts and bringing back six rotation players, all of whom will still be under contract and eligible to be traded next summer.
With over $85 million in tradeable contract and their 2023 first round pick, the Lakers should be well positioned to pull off a major blockbuster trade next summer should a superstar become available who to replace LeBron.

The Lakers’ trade goals are to find a starting small forward who can get his own shot and shoot the three, a starting point guard who takes care of the ball and shoots the three, and size, depth, and shooting for the bench.
Most importantly, the Lakers needed to commit to tradeable players on two or three year reasonable deals so they will have the necessary trading chips if a unique opportunity comes up to add a superstar to replace LeBron.

Building a roster that can compete a championship this season while also positioning the Lakers for an $85 million portfolio of tradeable contracts that would let them to make even more aggressive moves down the road.

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1. The Pistons Trade

The centerpiece of the Pistons trade is small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who would become the Lakers’ starting small forward and third scoring option, and backup center Nerlens Noel and backup wing Saddiq Bey.

Bogdanovic gives the Lakers a third elite scorer and 3-point shooter who averages over 20 points per game while shooting well over 40% from deep. Bojan’s size and shooting is exactly what the Lakers need at small forward.
Nerlens Noel gives the Lakers the shot blocking rim protector that they desperately need when Davis is on the bench. Last year with the Knicks, Nerlens averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in just 22 minutes per game.

Finally, Saddiq Bey gives the Lakers a promising young 3&D wing who is the perfect backup for Bogdanovic. Bey is a 23-year old, 6′ 7″, 215 lb small forward who has a great stroke and can defend his position with verve.

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2. The Jazz Trade

The centerpiece of the Jazz trade is veteran point guard Mike Conley, who would become the Lakers starting point guard. Mike is a career 38.2% 3-point shooter who’s averaging 38.9% this season on 5.0 threes per game.

Conley’s real strength is his ability to run an efficient offense, something that’s been greatly missed on the Lakers this season. Conley averages 7.8 assists per game and only 1.5 turnovers per game or 5.2 A/TO ratio.
While Mike is 35-years old, his game is still strong and the Jazz struggled when he was out with injury. The Lakers have been trying to find a floor general to take the load off LeBron for three years. Conley’s the answer.

Add in Jordan Clarkson to replace Russell Westbrook as the Lakers’ 6th man and Kelly Olynyk to be the backup for LeBron James at power forward and Anthony Davis at center when the team needs more outside shooting.

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3. The New Roster

The Lakers had 14 active players before these two trades. They swap six players and a pick for three players from the Pistons and one player and a pick for three players from the Jazz. That leaves them with 13 players.

The addition of Conley and Bogdanovic transforms the Lakers’ starting lineup by giving them an elite point guard to run the offense in Conley and an elite wing scorer to supplement James and Davis in Bogdanovic.
The addition of four legitimate rotation players in Clarkson, Bey, Olynyk, and Noel represents a needed major upgrade in talent and size for the Lakers’ bench. Los Angeles should have a great bench going forward.

The Lakers new roster has a dynamically improved starting lineup and much deeper, bigger, and more talented set of backups off the bench. The Lakers could have the best 10-man rotation in the league after these trades.

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4. Next Summer Salary Cap

One of the goals of the Lakers’ front office for next summer is to build a portfolio of tradeable contracts, which means trading for players who have two or three years left on their contracts rather than expiring contracts.

The Lakers will have over $85 million in the six tradeable contracts that they acquired via the Pistons and Jazz trades. Conley’s only guaranteed $14.3 million and Olynyk only $3.0 million of their salaries for 2023–24.
The Lakers will also get either their 2023 first round draft pick or the New Orleans Pelicans 2023 first round draft pick as they have a pick swap as part of the original deal when the Lakers traded Pelicans for Anthony Davis.

Unlike the last two offseasons when they did not have legitimate rotation players on tradeable contracts, the Lakers will head into next summer with their deepest roster in three years and a portfolio of tradeable contracts.

If the Lakers want to compete for a championship this season without sacrificing their future with Anthony Davis after LeBron James retires, Rob Pelinka will need to transform the team with an extreme makeover. 

The reason the Lakers need an extreme makeover is they need more than two or three new players to fix the roster to win now and win next summer. If L.A. wants to hedge their bets, they need to keep one of their two picks. 
Finding a way to upgrade the current roster to championship caliber by using just one of their two available first round picks would enable the Lakers to have two tradeable first round picks on Draft Day next summer.

While the Lakers need to trade for players who can help them win now, they also need to shift their focus from older players on expiring contracts and focus instead on younger players on tradeable two or three year deals. 
To position themselves for a possible blockbuster trade next summer for the team’s next superstar, the Lakers need to build a solid portfolio of valuable rotation players on tradeable contracts on one or two year deals.

Right now, the Lakers need a starting point guard and small forward who can score and shoot the three. Lonnie Walker IV is the only non-superstar starter who should remain. The Lakers need two new and better starters. 
Besides Austin Reaves, the Lakers need an entirely new set of backups. They need a rim protector when AD is not on the floor, an instant offense 6th man to replace Russ, and backups for LeBron and small forward.

Fortunately for Rob, the Lakers have an opportunity with the Pistons and Hornets to trade Westbrook, six other players, one first, and two seconds for six new legitimate rotation players to transform Lakers into contender. 
The trade will dramatically improve the starting lineup by adding two 20-points per game scorers who shoot over 40% from deep and revamp the bench by adding four new backups to upgrade size, shooting, and defense.

Let’s look at the proposed trades and why they make sense for the Lakers as well as the Pistons and Hornets. And let’s review what the trade does for the Lakers’ chances to win this season and heading into next season.

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The Lakers and Pistons Trade

The Detroit Pistons have been looking to trade Bojan Bogdanovic, Alex Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Saddiq Bey. Bogdanovic would be starting small forward for the Lakers while Burks, Noel, and Bey would come off bench.

The trade saves the Lakers $7.5 million in salary this season, which can be used in the Hornets trade to take back more than they send out while keeping annual salaries neutral so there will be no additional luxury taxes.
Just as importantly, all four of the players being traded for have two or three years left on their contracts, meaning they will not only help the Lakers win this season but will be available as trading chips next summer.

For the rising Lakers, this trade is a huge win that allows them to keep one of their two first round picks. For the tanking Pistons, this trade allows them to grab one of the most valuable draft picks to come onto the market.

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The Lakers and Hornets Trade

Charlotte has been looking to trade multiple players including Terry Rozier and P. J. Washington. A poor start to the season, the Miles Bridges setback, and early injuries to LaMelo Ball have derailed the Hornets’ season.

The trade raises Lakers’ annual salaries by $4.3 million but is offset by the $7.5 million saved in the Pistons’ trade, leaving a net savings of $3.2 million for the Lakers, which should save them some luxury taxes next season. 
While P.J. Washington is on an expiring contract, the Lakers will receive his Bird rights and will be able to go over the cap to sign him if warranted. Rozier has 3 years left on his contract but could be a key chip next summer.

For the Lakers, the trade finally nets them an elite point guard who can score and shoot the three and a backup four. For the Hornets, they dump the $85 million and 3.5 years left on Terry Rozier’s original 4-year contract.

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The Lakers Roster After Trades

The Lakers went into the trades with 14 active players. They sent out 7 players and brought back 6, leaving them with just 13 active players and creating another open roster spot for future trade or buyout market.

The improvement in scoring and 3-point shooting from Rozier and Bogdanovic should dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ starting lineup. Rozier is a career 37.2% shot and Bogdanovic a career 39.4% shot from deep. 
In addition to creating space for James and Davis with their 3-point shooting, Rozier and Bogdanovic will take some of the ‘must score’ pressure off LeBron and AD as they both average 20-points per game

The Lakers’ bench will get four new players: Burks will replace Russ as the team’s 6th man, Noel will protect the rim when AD’s out, and Bey and Washington will backup Bogdanovic and James at the three and four.

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The Lakers Position Next Summer

Besides transforming their roster into a contender, the Lakers’ goal was to trade for a portfolio of quality rotation players on tradeable contracts who could be filler in a blockbuster two-pick trade for the team’s next superstar.

That is exactly what the Pistons’ and Hornets’ trades did for the Lakers. Besides their 2029 first round draft pick, the Lakers will also be able to trade whatever pick they end up with on draft day in a 2-pick deal.
Because they traded for players not on expiring contracts, the Lakers will be far better positioned this summer to pull of a blockbuster trade with two tradeable first round picks and five tradeable contracts worth $67,931,804.

Besides extremely making over their roster to compete for a title, the Lakers also smartly positioned themselves to have a portfolio of first round picks and tradeable contracts to make a blockbuster trade next summer.

Now that the MVP version of Anthony Davis has taken the torch from LeBron James as the superstar face of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rob Pelinka no longer has an excuse for not going all-in to upgrade this roster to win.

With rookie head coach Darvin Ham choreographing Russell Westbrook’s successful move to the bench and Anthony Davis’ sudden emergence as the franchise’s lead superstar, the Lakers have miraculously saved their season.
All that remains now is for Pelinka to pull off two big moves to upgrade the Lakers roster with more size and shooting: trading Beverley, Nunn, and a pick for 3&D wing and trading Westbrook and a pick for multiple shooters.

Since no trading partner has a package that fills all the Lakers’ needs, Los Angeles should split their two available first round picks, assigning one pick to the Beverley and Nunn trade and the other to the Westbrook trade. Splitting the picks is a key negotiating strategy as the Lakers need to let teams know there is no deal where they’re going to give up both picks to any single trading partner. The new max is just one unprotected pick.

So let’s take a look at the different options available to the Lakers with respect to the smaller Beverley, Nunn, and pick trade or the bigger Westbrook and pick trade to see what Pelinka’s best moves could be.

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The Smaller Beverley, Nunn, and Pick Trade?

Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn have been disappointing this season. The Lakers need to package their combined $18.2 million in expiring contracts with a first round pick in a trade for a starting small forward.

With Anthony Davis playing like the MVP, the Lakers need to get serious about fixing their starting lineup and rotation. If Anthony Davis is really going to play nothing but center, the Lakers must focus on small forward.
For the last three years, we’ve watched Pelinka overload the Lakers with small guards while ignoring the team’s need for bigger 3&D wings to defend the bigger wing scorers who consistently punish our undersized guards.

Getting serious means finding a legitimate starting small forward who can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting on offense and have the size and length to guard the bigger wing scorers who consistently hurt the Lakers.
That means targeting proven starter quality small forwards like Bojan Bogdanovic, Jae Crowder, O.G. Anunoby, Harrison Barnes, or Kelly Oubre, Jr. rather than lower salary targets like Cam Reddish and Saddiq Bey.

Offensively, Bojan Bogdanovic is the best candidate. He’s shooting 44.1% from deep on 5.8 attempts per game. More importantly, Bojan would give the Lakers a high powered scoring wing who can get his own shot any time.
Defensively, O.G. Anunoby would the the top prospect. While he’s a 36.9% career 3-point shooter, Anunoby’s biggest appeal is his elite defensive skills. Anunoby would give the Lakers a desperately needed 3&D wing stopper.

Bottom line, the Lakers should trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, Damon Jones, and a protected 2029 first round pick to the Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic, who would become the Lakers starting small forward.

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The Bigger Russell Westbrook and Pick Trade?

While Westbrook has been playing better off the bench, the only way the Lakers can trade for needed multiple rotation players with size who can shoot is by packaging his $47 million contract with a first round pick.

Assuming the Lakers trade Beverley, Nunn, and a pick for Bogdanovic, who would start at the three along with Walker at the two, James at the four, and Davis at the five, their next move is to trade Westbrook for greater depth.
Specifically, they need a starting point guard who can shoot threes and quality reserves to backup Bogdanovic at the three, James at the four, and Davis at the five. That should be the goal of the Westbrook and pick trade.

Several trades could bring back a package of players to solve the Lakers’ size and shooting woes. The package that jumps out is the Jazz foursome of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Conley would give the Lakers a proven starting point guard averaging 20.7 ppg shooting 38.6% on 4.9 apg. Clarkson would give them a legit 6MOY candidate to replace Russ averaging 19.7 ppg shooting 35.0% on 7.7 apg.

Besides guards, this trade gives the Lakers center Kelly Olynyk, who’s averaging 13.0 ppg and shooting 46.6% on 3.4 apg, and power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who’s averaging 8.6 ppg shooting 46.2% on 1.1 apg.
Olynyk’s not the rim protector the Lakers need but he is big and mobile, can stretch the floor with his elite shooting stroke, and Vanderbilt is an excellent defender who has been having a break out season from deep.

Trading Russell Westbrook and an unprotected 2027 first round draft pick for Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Jarred Vanderbilt would transform the Lakers’ into a legitimate championship contenders.

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What Would Lakers Post-Trades Roster Look Like?

The beauty of the Lakers two big moves is they swap four players for five players, giving up Westbrook, Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and two first round picks for Bogdanovic, Conley, Clarkson, Olynyk, and Vanderbilt.

In the process, they Lakers replaced four players who were poor outside shooters with five players who are good 3-point shooters, including a starting point guard and small forward and a trio of backup forwards.
A review of the above Lakers’ depth chart shows that the Lakers added two quality starters in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic and three primary backups in Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Jarred Vanderbilt.

The Lakers not only upgraded the size and shooting of their starting lineup but also added major quality depth to their bench. They basically added five brand new rotation players to what is now a great 10-man rotation.
That’s exactly the kind of serious trades Rob Pelinka needs to pull off to upgrade the size and shooting of the Lakers’ roster and give them the kind of starting lineup and rotation that can win an NBA championship.

Basically, the Lakers were able to replace 1/3 of their 15-man roster. They added a starting point guard and small forward who can shoot and a backup shooting guard, power forward, and stretch center who can shoot.
All five of the Lakers’ new players are plus 3-point shooters and three of them are front court players who give the team desperately needed size, rebounding, scoring, and positional defense as well as 3-point shooting.

The two trades the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off with their two first round draft picks enabled them to completely makeover their starting lineup and basic rotation to fix their issues with size, shooting, and playmaking.

In less than one month, the Los Angeles Lakers have gone from having early season doubts AD would ever take the torch from LeBron James to experiencing the 10-game transformation that signaled his ‘Arrival.’

After struggling with injuries and missed games the past two seasons, Anthony Davis put the Lakers on his shoulders after a rough 2–10 start and has led them to a 3-game road win streak and an 8–2 record in last 10.
During this 10-game stretch, the Lakers have posted the 4th best offensive rating, 8th best defensive rating, and 4th best net rating in the league. They also ranked 2nd in FG%, 8th in 3P%, and 8th in FT% the last 10 games. 

Anthony Davis’ ‘Arrival’ changes everything for the Lakers and complicates the important looming decisions by ownership and management regarding trading Russell Westbrook and their two available first round draft picks. 
The Lakers’ front office was already sharply divided as to whether to invest their two picks to give this roster a shot at a ring or save the picks for next summer. The ‘Arrival’ of Anthony Davis ironically affects both arguments.

Let’s examine how Anthony Davis’ ‘Arrival’ the last 10 games as the next face of the franchise changes everything with respect to the Lakers’ needs, trading Russell Westbrook, and Trading their two first round draft picks. 

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1. Does AD’s ‘Arrival’ Change the Lakers Needs?

Anthony Davis’ ‘Arrival’ should end the perennial arguments about whether he’s better as a center or a power forward. If AD continues to play like the last 10 games, he will most likely win MVP and DPOY awards as a center.

The Lakers have spent the last three seasons futilely searching for a starting center to play alongside Anthony Davis, both to allow him to play his preferred power forward position and to protect him from physicality. 
I’ve long supported trading for Myles Turner to play alongside AD but this Shaquille O’Neal version of Anthony Davis is even better than Bubble AD. It’s time for the Lakers to accept Anthony Davis is now their starting center.

With Davis at center, James at power forward, Walker at shooting guard, and Schröder acceptable at point guard, the Lakers greatest need now becomes a starting small forward or 3&D wing to defend bigger scorers.
The Lakers need to end those three guard lineups with nobody over 6′ 5″. Fortunately, 3&D candidates for that position include Bojan Bogdanovic, Jae Crowder, Lauri Markkanen, O.G. Anunoby, and Cam Reddish.

The Lakers first move should be to trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, Damian Jones, and a protected first round pick for one of the above wings to give their starting lineup more size, especially at small forward position.
The Lakers also need better front court backups. Bryant, Gabriel, and Brown, Jr would be the backup center, power forward, and small forward. Lakers’ top bench priority should be a backup center like Kelly Olynyk.

Anthony Davis’ ‘Arrival’ has changed what the Lakers need in terms of roster upgrades. Top two priorities are landing a starting 3&D small forward and backup center who can stretch the floor and protect the rim

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2. Does AD’s ‘Arrival’ Change Russell Westbrook trade?

With Anthony Davis playing like the best player in the world and the Lakers looking like a legitimate championship contenders, there’s a path emerging where the Lakers keep Russell Westbrook and allow his contract to expire.

The benefits of not trading Westbrook include the creation of $35 million in cap space that could be used to sign free agents this summer assuming they don’t trade for any long-term contracts and keeping one or both draft picks.
Ironically, another benefit of not trading Westbrook is still being able to benefit from his excellent play off the bench. Replacing the volume assists Russ gives AD is one of the major challenges of trading for Westbrook.

Unfortunately, other than trading Russ and picks, the only other Lakers’ package that has value is Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and a first round pick, which could bring back player(s) who earn $20 million per year combined. 
Theoretically, the Lakers could trade for a player like Bogdanovic to fill out their starting lineup of Schroder, Walker, Bogdanovic, James, and Davis and have a solid bench of Westbrook, Reaves, Brown, Gabriel, and Bryant.

If the Lakers can trade Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and a pick for a Bogdanovic, they might have enough with the Shaquille O’Neal version of Anthony Davis and a healthy and rested LeBron James to win it all while keeping Russ. 
That’s an argument we should expect the Buss Brothers to make as we approach December 15th and Rob Pelinka and the front office start to execute their key stretch drive moves to upgrade the Lakers’ roster.

It makes sense for the Lakers to execute a trade for a starting small forward on December 15, which would still give them a chance to see how the team plays and reconsider trading Westbrook if the need and opportunity arise.

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3. Does AD’s ‘Arrival’ Change Lakers Trading Picks?

Anthony Davis playing like the ‘best player in the world’ has to ease any concern the Lakers’ front office may have had that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were still capable of winning the NBA championship.

It should also give the Lakers confidence that the player they gambled would become the heir apparent to LeBron James has finally shown that he is up for that challenge and is right now taking the torch from the King. 
That should theoretically give the Lakers confidence to go all-in to win the NBA championship this season both to get LeBron James another ring before he retires and to prevent the Boston Celtics from winning #18.

The thing about a Russell Westbrook trade is it could bring back $47 million in combined salary vs the $20 million the Beverley, Nunn, and pick trade could bring back. That’s basically three rather than one rotation player.
Ideally, the Lakers need a starting small forward and a backup center, power forward, and small forward. The only logical way they can acquire those players is to trade Westbrook as well as Beverley, Nunn, and Jones.

After trading for Bogdanovic, the Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook and one unprotected first round pick to the Utah Jazz for Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley, and Kelly Olynyk to give them needed size and shooting.
That 3-player Westbrook trade would give them desperately needed bench depth and the roster versatility needed to deal with the long regular season and normal injuries and play jumbo big or super small in the playoffs.

Anthony Davis’ ‘Arrival’ changes everything for the Lakers and gives them a positive upside that’s clearly worth the team investing both first round draft picks to beat the Boston Celtics and win their 18th NBA championship.

The latest reports indicate that the Lakers are leaning towards smaller trades that don’t include Russell Westbrook or both of their available first round draft picks as they do not see any trade that’s worth both picks.

The driving force behind making a smaller trade is the Lakers’ constant desire to have their cake and eat it too. The Lakers essentially want to split the baby and use some of their assets to win now and others to win later. 
Rob Pelinka is petrified that the post-LeBron James Lakers could be doomed to a decade in the lottery just like the post-Kobe Bryant squads. That’s why he won’t go all-in and spend both picks to upgrade this roster. 

The Lakers have two trade options to upgrade the roster. The bigger option is Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract while the smaller option is Beverley’s, Nunn’s, and Walker’s $25 million in expiring contracts.
Pelinka’s strategy is to focus on the smaller option and trade Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and one first round pick for size and shooting. By keeping Russ and letting his contract expire, Lakers create $35 million in cap space.

The Lakers are hoping the re-emergence of Bubble LeBron and AD plus a small trade for one or two legitimate starters or rotation players could be enough to give the Lakers’ current roster a puncher’s chance to win it all.
How aggressive the Lakers will be on the trade front will be dependent on how successful they are on their upcoming 6-game road trip against the Eastern Conference Bucks, Wizards, Cavaliers, Raptors, 76ers, and Pistons. 

Here are 10 trades in order that make the Lakers better that don’t include Westbrook. All of them but one include the Lakers’ 2027 unprotected first round draft pick. Lakers could also trade Westbrook and their other pick.

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1. Pacers’ Myles Turner

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2. Hornets’ Kelly Oubre, Jr. and P.J. Washington

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3. Pistons Bojan Bogdanovic

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4. Raptors O.G. Anunoby

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5. Suns’ Jae Crowder

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6. Hornets’ Terry Rozier

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7. Knicks Cam Reddish

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8. Raptors’ Gary Trent, Jr.

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9. Pacers’ Buddy Hield

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10. Jazz’ Jarred Vanderbilt

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