Late in NBA free agency, we finally know where Jarred Vanderbilt will play next season.
To this point, Vanderbilt has been a restricted free agent, making it more difficult for him to just find a new deal, one Minnesota would have the chance to match. The market seemed relatively dry for the 6-foot-9 22-year-old.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Vanderbilt is signing a new three-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After agreeing to a minimum-salary contract in 2018, Vanderbilt will get a better payday, set to make $13.8 million over the course of the three seasons.
Vanderbilt was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. He spent the last season and a half with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being traded by the Nuggets as part of a four-team deal two seasons ago.
This past season, Vanderbilt proved his worth. He averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 boards per game. Just for reference, he had yet to average over two points per game through his first two seasons in the NBA.
It was a major jump for Vanderbilt. Getting that confidence from his coaching staff, Vanderbilt’s offensive rebounding likely played a large part in this new deal as well. He grabbed 1.8 offensive rebounds per game, more than any previous total rebound average.
As you can tell, it was a solid season for the young big man. With this deal, Vanderbilt should slide in as the backup power forward. He should also get some minutes at the backup five behind former Wildcats stud Karl Anthony-Towns.
Vanderbilt played just one season with the Wildcats, averaging 5.9 points per game and having not started any of the 14 games he made an appearance in. He was in Lexington for the 2017-2018 season.
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