Guest Jarred Vanderbilt discusses Lakers recent performance, possible return. Topics include team's defensive ranking, Rui Hachimura's stellar play, debunking free throw conspiracy theories, and Lakers' rebounding improvement for playoff positioning.

Justin, Rob, and Wos give their instant reactions to the three-team trade between the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Jazz (01:25). They discuss whether the addition of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt makes the Lakers significantly better and discuss the trades from the perspectives of Utah and Minnesota. After, they discuss LeBron James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring leader in regular season history (23:29). They discuss James’s performance, his impact, and how he’s exceeded expectations since his days as a high school phenom. Then, they talk about the trade markets for Kevin Durant (57:25) and Chris Paul (75:29) and predict who will be dealt by Thursday’s deadline (80:13).Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, and Wosny LambreProducer: Eduardo Ocampo*The Ringer NBA squad is coming to Salt Lake City for NBA All-Star Weekend! Get your tickets here!* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices