Lakers News: LA Planning To Pick Up Jarred Vanderbilt’s 2023 Team Option

Not exactly a shock considering the cost of the deal.

In something of a formality, your Los Angeles Lakers are set to lock in starting power forward Jarred Vanderbilt to his $4.7 million team option for the 2023-24 season, sources informed Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Only $300K of that deal is guaranteed.

He'll be eligible for as much as a four-year, $71 million contract extension in September, McMenamin adds.

Across the 26 regular season contests he played upon being flipped to LA from the Utah Jazz (24 starts), the 6'9" big man averaged 7.2 points on 52.9% shooting from the floor, 6.7 boards, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals a night. His defensive versatility endeared him to Los Angeles fans as well as the club's front office, but his offensive limitations became an issue the deeper the club got into its playoff run.

Restricted free agent power forward Rui Hachimura emerged as the more valuable two-way option in the playoffs overall, even supplanting Vanderbilt as starter during a pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Though LA lost the game (and consequently, the series), it was pretty clear that Hachimura and Dennis Schröder had become more integral to the Lakers' efforts than had Vanderbilt at the four spot or D'Angelo Russell at the point.

Vanderbilt's ability to convincingly guard four positions on the hardwood (he's overmatched against most centers) helped bolster the Lakers' defense during the home stretch of the regular season, and he's absolutely worth retaining for his cost-effective salary.

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