Another Klutch Sports client cashes in with Lakers

The 24-year-old Vanderbilt was a second-round pick in 2018, playing for Denver, Minnesota and Utah before coming to the Lakers in a trade deadline deal. Vanderbilt started 24 of his 26 games as a Laker, averaging 7.2 points and an impressive 6.7 rebounds in 24 minutes. Now he's locked in with Los Angeles through 2028, getting a healthy raise on this year's $4.6 million deal.

Vanderbilt is a useful player, who plays well alongside James and Anthony Davis. But the biggest factor might be that he's alongside James and Davis on the Klutch Sports client roster, from which the Lakers have signed an unusual number of players.

Davis signed a $186 million contract extension in August. Last year, the Lakers used their full mid-level exception on Klutch client Lonnie Walker IV, added Klutch clients Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson and Scotty Pippen Jr. before the season and signed Klutch client Tristan Thompson just before the playoffs.

Before the 2021-22 season, Klutch's Talen Horton-Tucker signed a big three-year extension, and Klutch's Kendrick Nunn joined the team. The previous year it was Montrezl Harrell and Ben McLemore from Klutch. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed multiple deals with the Lakers, arriving one year ahead of James to pave the way for Klutch City.

None of these were egregious deals, but it's still a lot of players from one agency. One name to watch in the upcoming season is Klutch client Gary Trent Jr., who opted into his contract next year with the idea of working on a contract extension. More than two months later, there is no extension.

Don't be surprised if the Lakers target Trent in the next year. If the Raptors don't want to pay Trent, there's always a home for Klutch players in Los Angeles.