A source with knowledge of the arrangement told The Associated Press on Friday that the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Jarred Vanderbilt have agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension.
The source spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Lakers have yet to announce a long-term contract with their defensive specialist. The contract includes a fourth-year player option.
Vanderbilt was acquired by the Lakers from Utah in February and soon established himself as a vital rotation member during their late-season push to the Western Conference finals.
While not a strong offensive contributor, Vanderbilt averaged 7.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during the regular season while usually guarding the opponent’s leading scorer. Vanderbilt appeared in 24 regular-season games and 13 of the Lakers’ 15 postseason contests.
Vanderbilt began his NBA career in Denver after being picked in the second round by the Orlando Magic in 2018. He played in 140 games for Minnesota over portions of three seasons before being acquired by the Jazz last summer.
After drastically strengthening their squad at the trade deadline, the Lakers went 18-8 and then won two playoff rounds, and general manager Rob Pelinka has spent the summer improving or locking down the nucleus of last season’s team around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles extended contracts to Vanderbilt, Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura while acquiring Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood.