Lakers reach a 4-year, $48 million extension with Jarred Vanderbilt

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached a four-year, $48 million contract extension with Jarred Vanderbilt, including a player option for the 2027-28 season, ESPN reported on Friday.

Having been sent to the Lakers by the Utah Jazz before the end of the trade deadline last season, Vanderbilt started in 24 of his 26 games for the purple and gold, averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals. The team won 18 of hose 26 games, finishing in the seventh place in the Western Conference when the regular season ended and reached the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs.

As a 2.06-meter-tall, 97-kilogram-heavy forward, Vanderbilt is an explosive finisher next to the rim and an energetic rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. He is also a comprehensive defender who often guarded the opponent’s offensive ace last season. When Vanderbilt joined hands with Anthony Davis, there was nearly no player that they couldn’t contain.

However, Vanderbilt’s shortcomings are obvious as well. He only made 1.3 triples at 30.3 percent per game last season for the Lakers, unable to stretch the floor. Neither did he have any skill to attack off the dribble. Moreover, guarding full-sized centers with solid skills like Nikola Jokic was too much for Vanderbilt. That’s why he played only 16.5 minutes per game in the playoffs and often had to sit on the bench during clutch time.

Despite his defects, Vanderbilt is still an important piece of the Lakers’ forward positions. He and Rui Hachimura can make key contributions on the defensive and the offensive end respectively, and, thus make sure that Davis won’t be too overloaded.

Vanderbilt became the fifth Laker that got a multiyear extension during this offseason after Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Hachimura. The team visit Ball Arena on October 24 for a West Finals rematch with the Denver Nuggets in the 2023-24 regular season opener.