Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a “significant” injury to his right foot and the Los Angeles Lakers are concerned that he might not be able to return this season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on "NBA Countdown."
Team officials are consulting with specialists this weekend to determine the full extent of Vanderbilt’s condition and the best course of action, Wojnarowski adds. Sources tell Woj that Vanderbilt is expected to miss “several weeks” at a minimum.
Wojnarowski also speculates that the report on Vanderbilt will affect the Lakers’ strategy heading into Thursday’s trade deadline. He notes that Vanderbilt is one of the team’s best point-of-attack defenders, along with Gabe Vincent, who has only been available for five games this season.
“This is not a marketplace right now where there are a lot of difference makers available, and the Lakers do not have significant assets to add to this team,” Wojnarowski said. “If you are bringing in a player, how much does he move the needle with a team that very well could be without Vanderbilt now for the rest of the season.”
Wojnarowski points out that general manager Rob Pelinka could be in a better position for a major deal this offseason when he’ll have three future first-round picks that can be traded.
Vanderbilt suffered a non-contact injury to the foot during the first half of Thursday’s game at the Boston Celtics, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Woike suggests the Brooklyn Nets‘ Dorian Finney-Smith and the Toronto Raptors‘ Bruce Brown as versatile forwards that the Lakers might target before the deadline.
Vanderbilt, who played a significant role in last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals, has only appeared in 29 games this season. Bursitis in his left heel kept him off the court until early December, but he has been part of the rotation since returning, averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per night.
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