EL SEGUNDO — After being sidelined for nearly a year, Jarred Vanderbilt’s return to the court has gone from “imminent” to fast approaching.
The Lakers forward is expected to be available for Saturday’s road game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, which kicks off the team’s annual Grammys trip.
The timeline for Vanderbilt’s return was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
After Thursday’s home matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Lakers will play five consecutive games outside of Southern California from Saturday through Feb. 1 before playing a road game against the Clippers on Feb. 4 at Intuit Dome to complete the trip.
Vanderbilt had surgery on his feet in May and hasn’t played since suffering a sprained right midfoot injury in the Lakers’ road win against the Boston Celtics on Feb. 1.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said on Sept. 25 that Vanderbilt also had a “lingering bone spur” in his left foot, leading to the defensive-minded forward having procedures on both feet.
The team said on Dec. 3 that his return was being targeted for early January, releasing a medical update at the time saying that Vanderbilt developed an effusion (swelling caused by fluid) in his left knee during his return-to-play process, altering the course of his progression.
Vanderbilt participated in the non-contact parts of practice Dec. 30 and has practiced with the organization’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, as part of his return-to-play process.
He’s in the first season of a four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed with the Lakers in September 2023.
This story will be updated.