Lakers News: Jarred Vanderbilt Reportedly Set to Return from Foot Injury vs. Warriors

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is on track to make his season debut on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Vanderbilt has yet to suit up after having offseason foot surgery. He has been out for nearly a full year, having last played for L.A. in February 2024.

The timing of Vanderbilt's return is nice for the Lakers because general manager Rob Pelinka will get to see how the team performs with the 6'8" forward prior to the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

During the offseason, Pelinka said he wanted to be patient and see what the current roster would do under new head coach JJ Redick before he considered any noteworthy trades. He has largely stuck to that since acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets didn't qualify as a blockbuster or deplete the team's trade reserves.

Having a healthy Vanderbilt undoubtedly makes L.A. better. Since arriving midway through the 2022-23 season, he has averaged 6.1 points on 52.5 shooting along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals with the team.

The Lakers will have a formidable defensive combo on the wings when Vanderbilt and Finney-Smith are sharing the court together, and now Redick will have the luxury of having one available when the other needs to rest.

Vanderbilt's presence on its own won't transform Los Angeles into one of the NBA's best teams, though. Given his lengthy layoff, he's likely to need some time to find his groove on the floor, too.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported Tuesday the belief around the NBA is "standing pat or making a half-measure trade (likely one or two second-round picks) is more likely than the Lakers going all-in and trading both of their future first-round picks that can be moved."

Maybe Vanderbilt performing better than expected would spur Pelinka to think bigger between now and Feb. 6.