The Los Angeles Lakers could be without one of their key contributors to start the 2024-25 NBA season. Jarred Vanderbilt was huge for the purple and gold when he was first traded to Los Angeles two seasons ago, but he did not play for much of last year.
The defensive-minded forward dealt with a foot-related injury for most of the season, and now his status for the start of this upcoming campaign could once again be in question.
"I'm not sure he'll be ready for training camp or even for the preseason games," said Mike Bresnahan on the Lakeshow podcast. "He opted not to have a procedure in-season when he got hurt in February. So we'll see if he's ready to go. I don't have a lot of details about it, but I'm not sure he'll be ready for training camp. The regular season is a different story. Hopefully, he's ready by then. But nothing concrete on him yet."
Vanderbilt signed a four-year $48 million contract extension with the Lakers last September, and he is an integral part of the team's success. Without him, Los Angeles is missing its best and most versatile on-ball defender.
"It definitely was frustrating not being available, and it has been a long year dealing with injuries and trying to get healthy and be there for the team. It definitely was frustrating, especially knowing I could have contributed to some of the stuff we were lacking this year," said Vanderbilt during his exit interview.
Vanderbilt accounts for over $10 million against the salary cap and is the seventh highest-paid player on the roster. If he once again is hobbled by injuries, the Lakers will struggle to successfully fill his important role on the roster.
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