{"id":148738,"date":"2025-07-03T19:40:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T23:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=148738"},"modified":"2025-07-06T21:06:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T01:06:48","slug":"lakers-center-jaxson-hayes-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/03\/lakers-center-jaxson-hayes-free-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Solve Backup Center Problem with Familiar Face"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lakers are bringing back one of their own in free agency, re-signing center <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hayesja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jaxson Hayes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to a one-year, $3 million deal, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1940908433404055624\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Lakers Solve Backup Center Problem with Familiar Face<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Hayes Returns to Former Role for Lakers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 25-year-old 7-footer, Hayes shifted between backup and starter for the Lakers last year, only promoting him after the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luka Doncic<\/span><\/a> trade<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Though he averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds this season, Hayes looked promising as a lob threat next to Doncic, elevating his game next to the superstar point guard. Hayes couldn\u2019t replicate that newfound success in the playoffs, however, as he was ultimately <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/lakers-player-breaks-silence-being-145815178.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">played off the floor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the Lakers\u2019 first-round loss to the Timberwolves.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">During a 16-game stretch around the time of the Luka-AD deal, Hayes was terrifc. Lakers went 14-2 and he averaged 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Struggled after a knee injury and obviously, the playoffs were the playoffs. But with him and Deandre Ayton, Lakers have two\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UBorOTETe4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/UBorOTETe4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanWoikeSports\/status\/1940910195875762252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During his exit interview, the sixth-year center said he grew in several ways over the course of the season, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/lakersnation.com\/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-pleased-with-his-growth-during-2024-25-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">adding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOn the defensive end, stepping up and showing that I can compete at that high level and not just be a backup for a team. I feel like I showed I can be out there playing more. Obviously there\u2019s still a ton of things that I need to work on, but I felt pretty good throughout the season.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_148751\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-148751\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-148751 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Mar 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) dunks the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25700109_168402037_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-148751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) dunks the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite returning to a backup role, Hayes gets to showcase that growth once more, this time supplementing another athletic big in <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/aytonde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deandre Ayton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. While some expected the Lakers to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/01\/report-lakers-considering-al-horford-free-agency\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">go after<\/span><\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/horfoal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Al Horford<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/01\/lakers-centers-trade-rumors-suns-pelicans-blazers\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trade for<\/span><\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/richani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nick Richards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the team will stick to their personnel and give Hayes another chance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hayes&#8217; re-signing also fills the 15th spot on the Lakers\u2019 guaranteed roster, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jovanbuha\/status\/1940910393041543198\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to insider Jovan Buha<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. One of the final decisions on the table (barring a trade) is whether or not to guarantee <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/miltosh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shake Milton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s $3 million contract; the deadline for that is July 20.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Lakers are bringing back one of their own in free agency, re-signing center Jaxson Hayes to a one-year, $3 million deal, according to ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania. Lakers Solve Backup Center Problem with Familiar Face Hayes Returns to Former Role for Lakers A 25-year-old 7-footer, Hayes shifted between backup and starter for the Lakers last [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":148741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62,3],"tags":[1962],"class_list":["post-148738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","category-news","tag-jaxson-hayes"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148738"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148752,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148738\/revisions\/148752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}