The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly planning to exercise Jarred Vanderbilt’s team option for next season.
The update was reported by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “Vanderbilt has a $4.7 million team option for next season, one the Lakers plan on exercising,” he said. He’s hopeful he can put down roots in Los Angeles as part of what he deems a ‘high-caliber organization.’”
Vanderbilt has been one of the standout performers for the Lakers on the defensive end. He may have had zero points to show for in the play-in clash against his former side, the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it was the quality defense that was crucial in the team’s 108-102 OT win.
The forward has two more years left in his contract, but there is no telling what the future holds. But for now, it appears LA have made decided their next move.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Defense Received A Massive Upgrade In The Form Of Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt’s acquisition saw the Lakers become the number-one ranked team in defensive rating in March. The 24-year-old’s defense came to the fore when he locked up Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. This saw lavish praise from both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“His energy, his effort, he knows where to be on every single possession and he knows how to utilize teams not accounting for him as an offensive threat,” James had said per USA Today. “That is basketball IQ in its own right and that’s what makes him the player he is.”
On his part, Vanderbilt is a motivated player. “It drives a chip on my shoulder,” he said earlier this season. “I feel like I had some catching up to do, especially being in a position where I started at.”
The Lakers will be pleased to keep Vanderbilt and, most likely, the other players they received at the trade deadline. LA seems to like their team, and we’ll have to see how they do in this year’s playoffs.
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