TERRIBLE NEWS: The head coaches of Los Angeles Lakers could trade to replace Jarred Vanderbilt for his…….

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a massive blow in the team’s biggest win of the season over the Boston Celtics. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who was playing out of this world in the first half against the Celtics, came up limping after an injury and was forced to leave the game early.

Vanderbilt and the Lakers avoided the worst-case scenario (torn Achilles) but the injury still will put him on the shelf for quite some time. Vanderbilt will miss “at least several weeks” with a foot injury. That is as vague as it gets and considering how other timelines have been delayed this season, Lakers fans should not expect to see Vando back any time sooner.

With the trade deadline coming up this week, the Lakers may look to replace some of Vando’s minutes with a forward on the trade market. The Lakers are not going to find someone who brings everything Vanderbilt does, but they could at least add depth at a cheap cost.

Royce O’Neale has been connected to the Lakers already on the trade market and he could even be part of a bigger package for the Lake Show. There is a world in which the Lakers flip D’Angelo Russell and some young assets to Brooklyn for a package of Spencer Dinwiddie and O’Neal

That package seems even more likely with Vanderbilt out as O’Neale would help in replacing the forward’s minutes. O’Neale does not have the defensive ceiling that Vanderbilt has but he is an above-average defensive wing who can hit three-point shots more consistently than Vanderbilt ca

O’Neale is on an expiring contract and is someone who would play 15-18 minutes on the Lakers, so the price would not be high at all. Los Angeles would just have to get the salaries aligned to make the deal possible along with a second-round pick or two.

The Orlando Magic are having a solid season behind second-year star Paolo Banchero and the rest of the young talent that is on the roster. Nobody expects Orlando to make a deep playoff run as the team may still be reserved for the play-in but it is a promising step in the right direction for the Magic.

The Magic may not be outright sellers like they have been at past deadlines but they definitely could move off the right players for the right price. Veteran forward Joe Ingles is probably the most likely to be traded, especially if the Magic can get young talent in return.

Ingles has played a limited role in Orlando this season but has played quite well in the minutes he is getting. The 36-year-old is averaging 4.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 17.9.9 minutes per game. More importantly, he is playing above-average defense and is shooting 38.9% from three.

Ingles is a lifetime 40.9% three-point shooter so he would give the Lakers another bench option that can hit shots as an off-ball option. As evidenced by his points-per-game numbers, Ingles is not going to come in and light the other team on fire. But in a few key spots, he could hit shots to extend a Lakers run or stop another team’s run dead in the track.

Ingles has one more year under contract so he would give the Lakers some roster continuity into next season. A package of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Max Christie would work money-wise and should be enough to get Ingles in LA.

This is where the drop-off really happens in the article but that is the nature of the trade market. There are some bigger-name trade targets that Los Angeles could explore, mostly at the guard positions. But with what the Lakers have to trade, the team is going to have to explore players like Reggie Bullock to replace Vanderbilt’s minutes.

From a purely stylistic point of view, Bullock is not at all like Vanderbilt. Bullock has made his career off being an off-ball three-point shooter who can play serviceable perimeter defense. He is not the versatile forward who can defend all five positions on the floor like Vanderbilt casy.

Bullock also hasn’t done much this season with the Houston Rockets. The veteran wing has hardly played on the young Rockets team as several recent lottery picks are the obvious priority. The cost to acquire Bullock would be incredibly cheap and is worth a dart throw for their Laker

All Los Angeles would need to trade is a minimum contract and a future second-round pick swap. That would be more than enough to acquire a player who is not even playing on the Rockets as

While Bullock has not played much this season, he did play over 30 minutes a game last season with the Dallas Mavericks, has 27 career playoff games, and is a lifetime 38.4% three-point shooter.

Danilo Gallinari was recently traded from the Washington Wizards to the Detroit Pistons in what served as a salary dump for Detroit. Washington took back former second-overall pick James Wiseman in the deal to give Detroit cap space this offseason that the team will probably screw up yet again.

Gallinari is on an expiring contract and there is a world in which his agent could work out a buyout for the veteran forward. However, the Pistons are going to do whatever they can to trade Gallinari before the deadline to get something out of his 

Gallinari’s salary is small so the Lakers could get a deal done with Maxwell Lewis, a minimum contract, and a future second-round pick. Taking the gamble on Gallinari is worth it for that price, especially with all of his experience in the league.

Gallinari couldn’t be more unlike Vanderbilt as he is not this defensive gem in the slightest. Instead, he is a lengthy, veteran wing who can knock down shots as an off-ball option. His shooting has not been great this season but he has been hot since joining Detroit, so there is some how.

There is potential for Gallinari to be someone who can step up and produce 15 quality minutes off the bench for the purple and gollo my