Jarred Vanderbilt and the LA Lakers have shaken hands on a 4-year contract extension that’s worth $48 million. The contract included a player option for the fourth year.
Vanderbilt, standing at 6’8”, first drew public attention in 2019 when he played for the Denver Nuggets and helped them win over the Phoenix Suns with a 132-95 victory. At the time, he was a mere 19-year-old kid and a newcomer to the NBA. But, despite his inexperience, he was able to contribute to the team’s success by scoring, providing one assist on full-court passes, making steals, and collecting three rebounds in a period of three minutes.
Since then, Vanderbilt’s experience and exposure have grown, having played for four teams—the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, and LA Lakers—in just five seasons.
Vanderbilt got traded to the Lakers in a 3-way deal back in February of 2023. And just two days later, he made his first Lakers debut and scored a total of 12 points, managed 8 rebounds, and had 4 assists, helping his new team win against the Golden State Warriors.
Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, who was responsible for acquiring Vanderbilt, proved his judgment to be right as Vanderbilt ended up playing a big part in the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference finals in the late season.
During his time with the Lakers, Vanderbilt has played 26 times and recorded the following stats: an average of 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks.
Although he is relatively weak as an offensive player, Vanderbilt makes up for this with his great defensive plays.
Seeing his potential and wanting him to continue to wear the Lakers’ purple and gold, the Los Angeles Lakers have signed Vanderbilt to a four-year ‘team friendly’ contract.
On September 15, Shams Charania made the announcement on his X account, stating that Vanderbilt had agreed to the $48 million extension contract.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has agreed on a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Erika Ruiz told
@TheAthletic
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has agreed on a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Erika Ruiz told @TheAthletic @Stadium. Deal is fully guaranteed with a player option in the fourth year. pic.twitter.com/4kuLlt8zeT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2023
Vanderbilt Contract
Along with Vanderbilt, the Lakers have also decided to extend the contracts with Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura and acquire Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood.
Following the news, the Lakers Legacy posted a video on their X (formerly Twitter) account featuring Vanderbilt’s best passes from last season with the team, and captioned it as:
In celebration of Jarred Vanderbilt’s extension-
Some of his best passes with the Lakers last season-
LET’S GO VANDO 😤
In celebration of Jarred Vanderbilt’s extension-
Some of his best passes with the Lakers last season-
LET’S GO VANDO 😤
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) September 15, 2023
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The photo above is from a YouTube screengrab