A few days before the NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Jarred Vanderbilt is dealing with a sprained right foot and would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. Initially thought to be done for the season with a significant foot injury, this update provided a sense of optimism in Los Angeles that the defensive-minded forward would be able to return at some point late in the 2023-24 season before the playoffs.

Although surgery was initially thought to be out of the question for Vanderbilt, it still appears as if the Lakers' front office is not too sure if the 24-year-old will in fact be back this season. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka recently spoke to the media following the team's quiet approach at the trade deadline, addressing the potential timeline for Vanderbilt.

“Until an injury is healed and the player’s back, you’re kind of always in the evaluation process of figuring out what it’s gonna take to get a player healthy and back on the court,” Pelinka said, via The Athletic's Jovan Buha. “I would just say we’re hopeful that we can get Jarred back healthy and on the court without surgery, but you never know. Time will tell. But that’s certainly our hope.”

Of course, Pelinka is going to remain optimistic and give as little detail as possible to the media regarding the health of his players. However, internal pessimism surrounding a potential return for Vanderbilt is growing from within, per Buha.

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At this point, there is truly no telling when Vanderbilt will be back. Since suffering his foot injury against the Boston Celtics on February 1, the Lakers have gone 2-1, picking up a much-needed road win against the New York Knicks. Still hovering around a .500 record and having no reinforcements coming in with the trade deadline passing by, Los Angeles will need to show a lot of fight over the stretch run of the season.

In a total of 29 games this season, Jarred Vanderbilt has averaged 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor. He recently signed a four-year, $48 million extension to remain with the Lakers through the 2027-28 season.