Sources: Lakers’ Vanderbilt cleared to return Sat.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been medically cleared to make his season debut on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, barring any unforeseen setbacks, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Saturday’s game (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) will be Vanderbilt’s first action in nearly a year after he suffered a right midfoot sprain on Feb. 1 that cost him the rest of last season.

He underwent procedures on both of his feet in the offseason — opting for surgery on his right foot and removing a bone spur in his left foot in May. Those have sidelined him since the start of training camp in September, with his rehabilitation delayed in December when he experienced fluid in his left knee.

Vanderbilt signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension in September 2023 following the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference finals but has been largely unavailable since — appearing in just 29 out of 129 games, including the regular season, in-season tournament, play-in tournament and playoffs.

Prior to his right foot injury last season, however, Vanderbilt was enjoying one of the most productive stretches of his career — averaging 10.5 points on 66% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals over eight games.

The Lakers have made major changes since Vanderbilt last appeared on the court, replacing Darvin Ham with coach JJ Redick and recently swapping D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith, another forward with whom Vanderbilt will be competing for minutes within L.A.’s rotation.