Lakers Confront $3 Million Dilemma as Jarred Vanderbilt Back-Up Plan Suffer Major Blow

The Lakers entered Summer League evaluating Darius Bazley as a possible rotation piece—an athletic forward with the length and tools to mirror Jarred Vanderbilt’s role at a fraction of the cost. Bazley’s production had been promising, and his agency ties gave him a plausible path to a roster spot. But after a serious leg injury in Las Vegas, that contingency plan collapsed just as the front office faces a $3 million roster decision and minimal breathing room under the first apron. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Shake Milton’s non-guaranteed $3 million salary becomes fully guaranteed on July 20, which would harden the team’s position just $908,000 below the first luxury tax apron, per Spotrac. With 15 players already under standard contracts and a need to sign another big, the Lakers don’t have the flexibility to carry developmental bets or injury-questionable players. Bazley, at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, had been emerging as a viable low-cost insurance piece for the forward rotation, particularly if Vanderbilt, whose name has surfaced in trade speculation, were to be moved.

Bazley’s appeal was tied to both fit and function. Through his first three Summer League games, he averaged 7.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, flashing the athleticism and lateral coverage the Lakers have prioritized in recent years with hybrid defenders like Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel. After bouncing between four teams in five seasons, the 25-year-old was looking to re-enter the league full-time, and the Lakers—lacking depth at the four—were one of the few playoff-oriented teams with minutes theoretically available. But Bazley’s leg injury during Thursday’s game against Boston forced an abrupt reevaluation. He was taken off the court in a wheelchair, and while the team has not confirmed a diagnosis, the severity was immediately evident. Before the injury, though, Bazley’s fit had already drawn attention from team-focused voices like Raj Chipalu and Jovan Buha, who discussed his profile, potential upside, and how closely he resembled what the Lakers had once envisioned for Vanderbilt.

On Johan Buha’s YouTube Channel, in the latest video was about the Summer League players leaving a mark, Chipalu nailed the baseline: “He reminds me a lot of what the Lakers hoped Vando would kind of bring, right? Bazley a lot longer, a lot more athletic tools, much bigger wingspan, 7-foot wingspan. His handle is on another universe in Vando’s.” On film, Bazley used his wingspan to disrupt passing angles and push the pace, initiating a break after nearly every defensive rebound. His 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in under 24 minutes were accompanied by spot-duty ball-handling, like the late-clock assist versus Sacramento that Vanderbilt never attempted. Building on that length and grip, Chipalu highlighted Bazley’s savvy scoring:

“His ability to kind of draw fouls. He has a Hardenesque gather which is so interesting to watch from a player at that size.” In the Golden State game, Bazley repeatedly used a controlled gather-step to bait defenders into verticality, earning at least five trips to the line across that contest per PBPStats. It wasn’t brute strength; it was timing, footwork, and upper-body control—skill sets rarely seen in a 6’8″, non-guaranteed player. Chipalu didn’t hold back on the athletic advantage:

 “His athleticism again it was just it’s just too much for this level, and that’s something that I think you have to kind of analyze playing against bigger stronger athletes at the NBA level. But a guy I would 100% take a chance on.” Indeed, Bazley’s highlight reel featured a thunderous put-back dunk on July 14 and two chase-down blocks versus Golden State—all reinforcing his 2.3 blocks per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. His burst and recovery timing kept him in the play on nearly every possession, even after being pushed into switching roles on defense. Then came his position-proof performance:

“His 14 blocks leads the team by a very large margin… You mentioned him playing at center. He’s also oscillated from being a wing as well. He defends the perimeter.” That stat isn’t fluff, and those blocks came both inside and on the perimeter, showcasing his real versatility. In the Heat game, he switched onto a guard, blocked a drive, then rotated back to protect the rim—all in a span of three possessions. Finally, Chipalu emphasized clutch two-way impact:  

“He had the big-time plays on both ends where he got the tip dunk off of a Dalton miss drive and then got the switch and stop on the other end as well for the win.” That exact sequence, grab, tip slam, then immediate stop, sealed a tight win over Miami with under a minute left. That’s high-leverage BA-level impact, not just hustle—stuff LA desperately needs. In closing, Chipalu framed Bazley in context:

 “Just contextualizing that next to Luka and LeBron and obviously Austin… that level of handle, rebounding, shot blocking uh would be super super helpful to have on a minimum.” For a team strapped in cap and lacking affordable switch-heavy depth, Bazley represents exactly the versatile, two-way glue piece that few others on non-guaranteed deals can match.