Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is set to continue to wear purple and gold in 2023-24, with the Lakers exercising their team option. The 24-year-old will earn $4.7 million next season, and he's going to be eligible for an extension worth up to four years and $71 million in September. Vanderbilt struggled to make a mark in the 2023 playoffs, but he had a solid regular-season campaign and averaged 7.2 points with 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 24.0 minutes with the Lakers after coming over from Utah in February. He should be around the same numbers in 2023-24.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt will move into the starting five for Thursday's Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets. This is a bit surprising considering how well Rui Hachimura did versus Nikola Jokic last game. Despite that, it'll be Vanderbilt moving into the starting five, which will shift Dennis Schroder to the bench. The expectation is that Schroder and Hachimura will still play more than Vanderbilt. During Game 1, Vanderbilt only played 10 total minutes, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to see a huge jump in Game 2.

On Tuesday, the Charlotte Hornets made it official when they shut down their star guard LaMelo Ball for the remainder of the 2022-2023 NBA season.Many fantasy managers' worst fears were realized when Ball's non-contact injury in Monday night's game against Detroit turned out to be a fractured ankle. Charlotte's season was already lost, but fantasy managers were hoping to get a few more weeks from Ball who, when healthy, was putting up huge numbers this season.To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NBA, make sure to favorite or bookmark the RotoBaller Fantasy Basketball Newspage, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy basketball mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. 

2022-2023 Season Recap

LaMelo Ball will finish his third NBA season with the following numbers.23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 4.0 3PM, 1.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 3.6 TO, 41.1% FG%, 83.6% FT%He played in only 36 games this year and is currently 32nd overall in per-game value for 9-cat in Basketball Monster's player ratings.When he was on the floor, he was a triple-double threat on a nightly basis. His talent is undeniable. Just look at what he did to the Spurs only a few weeks before getting hurt.

Highlights LaMelo Ball Spurs ... [More]

LeBron James has dominated the National Basketball Association since entering the league straight from high school. He's won numerous awards and has led several teams to an NBA Championship. During the 2022-23 season, the Akron, Ohio, native continued to get it done, despite battling several nagging ailments along the way.However, James' latest issue, a right foot injury, is expected to keep him out indefinitely. So what does this mean, and will we see James back on the court this season? Is there a chance he won't return?To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NBA, make sure to favorite or bookmark the RotoBaller Fantasy Basketball Newspage, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy basketball mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. 

LeBron James Injury Update

James injured his right foot during the third quarter of Sunday's comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks. It was a tense few seconds after the multi-time MVP clutched his foot after suffering what was deemed a "non-contact injury." The concern grew to greater heights after he was overheard saying, "I heard a pop." Situations like this are never good, as many were concerned that an Achilles tear could be the culprit.https://twitter.com/FanDuelTV/status/1630602449227595777?s=20Yet, after James gathered himself, he tightened his shoe and finished the game, totaling 26 points, eight rebounds, one block, and one steal. Head coach Darvin Ham appeared optimistic while speaking postgame, stating the 38-year-old was "good."However, that couldn't be further from the case, with The Athletic's Shams Charania reporting that James would "miss an extended period of time" because of the foot injury. Charania later added that the all-time scoring leader would "require multiple opinions."https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1630363560051187712?s=20 

LeBron James' Season Recap

Despite James' advanced NBA age, he's still productive. In 47 appearances, he's averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. While his three-point percentage has regressed, that's never been his strong suit.James was also named an All-Star captain while recently passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader.https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1623184801284104192?s=20That said, despite some high-level accomplishments, the year has been a rough one for the 2003 No. 1 overall pick. He's battled left foot soreness for nearly the entire season, so much so that he routinely carried some type of injury designation heading into almost all of his games over the last few months.... [More]

Los Angeles Lakers guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt will shift into the starting five for Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers have decided to shake up their starting five as this is the last game for them before the All-Star break. Dennis Schroder and Rui Hachimura will head to the bench as a result and lose some fantasy appeal. The Lakers could be doing this to see how this group performs together alongside LeBron James. Fantasy managers in need of 3-pointers should look towards Beasley. As for Vanderbilt, a majority of his fantasy value comes from the defensive end. It's unlikely either of these players do much with James and Anthony Davis healthy on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell and power forward Jarred Vanderbilt thrived in their debuts against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Dennis Schroder led the team with 26 points, and the Lakers secured the win despite the absence of LeBron James (ankle). Russell looked good as he was placed right into the starting lineup, like old times, dropping 15 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting 6-for-12 in 35 minutes. Vanderbilt's energy off the bench was a key factor, too, as he efficiently logged 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and one steal while shooting 5-for-7 in just 17 minutes. Vanderbilt should be considered a viable streaming option, especially if his minutes increase. Malik Beasley had a rough shooting night, going 0-for-6 from deep, but expect him to bounce back, being the solid shooter that he is. It was a good sign for the Lakers to see the team play well as an entirety and secure the dub despite the quiet performance of ... [More]

The NBA trade deadline has officially come and gone and we had one of the most active deadlines in recent memory with some big stars being dealt. Kyrie, KD, and Westbrook are all heading to new teams and we have been covering those trades and their fantasy impacts here at RotoBaller.But there were plenty of other lesser-known players who were dealt in the last few days and I wanted to go through and make sure we don't overlook some of these trades as some of those deals may even have more fantasy impact than the big moves.So here are some other trades that went down and my two cents on the increase or decrease in value that we should expect from the players involved for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season. 

Moves That Matter

These are very much in order of how much they matter. Let's start with the Spurs sending their starting center back up North where he started his career.Jakob Poeltl to the RaptorsI am a huge Poeltl fan and was close to acquiring him on multiple teams before the deadline. It was a curious move by Toronto to be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline, but Poeltl gives them the presence at the five they have been lacking all season and allows Siakam to shift over and play PF where he belongs.Poeltl is no longer a shutdown candidate and has legit top-50 upside with his multi-category abilities. His departure also makes ... [More]

The Russell Westbrook experiment in Los Angeles has been less than ideal over the past two years and has officially come to an end. With the West stocking up everywhere, the Lakers knew they had to make a splash in order to make a push to the playoffs.The Lakers executed a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves, involving a total of eight players and multiple draft picks Wednesday night. The Lakers sent Russell Westbrook, Juan Tuscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt while also acquiring D'Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz also sent Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Timberwolves while accumulating even more draft capital.So just what is the fantasy basketball fallout of this blockbuster trade? Let's examine how each of the teams and players in the deal may be affected going forward. 

Fantasy Basketball Fallout: Russell Westbrook

Westbrook is expected to be bought out from Utah and enter free agency. There are already rumors of teams interested in the veteran point guard, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, and Chicago Bulls. If Westbrook were to be claimed, he would likely be given a prominent role immediately given these three teams are all lacking in the point guard position. Westbrook's caveat has always been his personality fit so it remains to be seen how well he can mesh with his new team if he is claimed. 

Fantasy Basketball Fallout: Lakers

The Lakers get some much-needed spacing and size with the additions of Russell, Beasley, and Vanderbilt. Russell is shooting a career-high 39.1 percent from three while averaging 17.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season. Russell should absorb Westbrook's minutes and will likely start at point guard over ... [More]

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers acquired Jarred Vanderbilt (along with D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley) on Wednesday as part of a three-team trade with Utah and Minnesota. The Timberwolves will receive Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in return, with Utah gettingRussell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones. Vanderbilt has averaged a career-high 8.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in 52 games this season. While the 23-year-old is still a work in progress, he will likely backup Rui Hachimura at the power forward position, meaning ... [More]

Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt (groin) has been upgraded to available for the team's game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Previously, the 23-year-old was listed as questionable again. Both Rudy Gay and Walker Kessler will go back to backup minutes, while Vanderbilt takes his starting spot back. He's been averaging 9.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals so far this season. Fantasy managers can safely enter him back into their lineups.

Utah Jazz forward/center Jarred Vanderbilt (groin) is listed as questionable to play Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Vanderbilt has missed the past two games with adductor soreness but was listed as questionable for both contests. Given he's also listed as questionable here, Vanderbilt will likely be day-to-day moving forward. With Vanderbilt hobbled, Malik Beasley has started the past two games and would likely continue to do so. Beasley can be viewed as a boom-or-bust points and threes streamer while Vanderbilt sits. Walker Kessler is also a name to watch while Vanderbilt is out.

Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt (hip) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Coming just a few hours before the game tipped off, this news hopefully points toward Vanderbilt being ready to suit up on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Malik Beasley is going to enter the starting lineup to create a small-ball situation. Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler should take care of the minutes at center while Rudy Gay will help out with the power forward duties.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent (UDFA) signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.... [More]

Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been a trade target for multiple teams, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. On his podcast Please Don't Aggregate This, Fischer stated, "A lot of teams have called on Jarred Vanderbilt. I don't know the number. I don't really have any specific teams that I've heard of. But last I talked to Utah, he was the guy who's getting the most calls, the most incoming calls of all the players." Vanderbilt was traded to Utah in the blockbuster deal that sent Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. The 23-year-old averaged 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 25.4 minutes per game with the Timberwolves in 2021-22.

The Jazz acquired forward Jarred Vanderbilt from Minnesota on Friday as a part of the deal to get Rudy Gobert. After the organization traded Royce O'Neale to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Vanderbilt will now fill a void on the team's roster. Although the 23-year-old has averaged only 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 points throughout his five-year career, he is in line to potentially see a significant uptick in minutes while landing a permanent role as a starter in the process.

Minnesota Timberwolves guards Patrick Beverley (ear) and Jordan McLaughlin (groin) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (quad) are all active for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. All three players went into the day with questionable tags due to their respective injuries. Anthony Edwards (knee) is also active for the game and he's starting alongside Beverley, Vanderbilt, D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Beverley has been a strong source of assists lately, averaging 6.0 assists per game in March. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has been rebounding the ball well in March (7.2 per game) and McLaughlin has been racking up solid assists (3.7) and steals (2.7). Naz Reid (back) is out for the game so Vanderbilt may be able to pad his rebounding stats a bit.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have an extensive injury report heading into Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Point guard Patrick Beverley (ear), center Naz Reid (back), forward Jarred Vanderbilt (quad) and guard Jordan McLaughlin (groin) are all currently listed as questionable. Meanwhile, guard Anthony Edwards (patella) is listed as probable and forward Jaden McDaniels (ankle) is out. Beverley is the only player from the questionable group who was able to play in the team's most recent game on Monday and he logged 30 minutes in the contest. Depending on who is active or not, we could see some T-Wolves rotational guys such as Josh Okogie, Jaylen Nowell, ... [More]

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt (quadriceps) won't suit up for Monday's outing against the San Antonio Spurs. The 22-year-old wasn't available for Saturday's trip to Miami because of a left quad contusion, which allowed Jaden McDaniels to benefit by taking his place in the starting five and finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. McDaniels isn't the most consistent fantasy option. Yet, he's worth a look from managers in deeper fantasy leagues. He could also draw interest as a viable value play from DFS enthusiasts, although Naz Reid, who had a double-double along with three steals and two blocks during the showdown against the Heat, should also get some attention.

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Jarred Vanderbilt (quad) and point guard Jordan McLaughlin (groin) have been deemed questionable to suit up for Friday's contest against Orlando. Vanderbilt was held out Wednesday due to a left quad contusion, which allowed Jaden McDaniels to slide into the starting five, a role he would likely retain if Vanderbilt remains sidelined. McLaughlin has served as solid backcourt depth off the bench for Minnesota, where his potential absence could funnel additional minutes to Patrick Beverley and D'Angelo Russell. Fantasy managers will want to check back prior to tip-off the final word on Vanderbilt and McLaughlin's statuses.