Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the team, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The contract is fully guaranteed and has a player option in the final year.
The Lakers acquired Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz when they overhauled the roster ahead of last season's trade deadline. The 24-year-old was part of the three-team trade that sent out Russell Westbrook and also brought D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley to Los Angeles.
Jarred Vanderbilt's time with Lakers
The Lakers exercised the forward's $4.7 million team option for the 2023-24 season and has now rewarded him with a long-term deal. Vanderbilt started 24 of the 26 regular-season games with LA after the trade and 13 of the 15 playoff games, making him a key part of the rotation.
The 6-foot-9 forward saw more playing time in the regular season with the Lakers, averaging 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 24.0 minutes per game. That dropped to 16.5 minutes per game in the postseason, with averages of 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.
Vanderbilt's lack of shooting played a role in his diminished playoff playing time, but he's still a valuable role player who can soak up minutes in the frontcourt while bringing plenty of energy, defense and rebounding to the table. At just 24 years old, it made sense for the Lakers to want to lock up another young member of the roster, and this is a fair deal given his age and contributions.
Busy Lakers offseason
This is just another notable contract for Los Angeles in an offseason full of them, with Jarred Vanderbilt joining Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell as players getting new deals. The Lakers also brought in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and, mostly recently, Christian Wood in free agency.
Los Angeles has NBA Finals aspirations once again after reaching the Western Conference Finals last season, only to get swept by the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers boast two superstars in LeBron James and AD plus a ton of depth around them, including Vanderbilt.