The Los Angeles Lakers checked in on a number of starting-level centers before landing on Deandre Ayton in free agency. He’ll likely be the starter next season.
However, Ayton has an injury history, so the team can’t rely on him to be available for 82 games. There were some intriguing backup options available, but Los Angeles decided to go with a familiar face.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers have re-signed center Jaxson Hayes to a one-year contract. He spent the last two seasons with the team and started 35 games in 2024-25.
Hayes started to show real promise once Luka Doncic was traded to the team, but he faded in the playoffs. Despite the Lakers desperately needing help at center, Hayes played himself off the court.
That said, he’s a logical player to bring back. He’s a big body who can be a lob threat, and now that Ayton is on the roster, he won’t be asked to do much.
Hayes is still a young player, so he can continue to improve. He needs a lot of work, especially on the defense side of the ball, but the Lakers clearly believe that he can be a useful player to have on the roster.
Ayton Could Be a ‘Disaster’
Ayton is a very talented player who was once the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. He’s also young enough to continue to improve.
The concern with him is that he’s got major attitude issues. The Portland Trail Blazers bought him out for a reason. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, some believe that Ayton’s tenure in Los Angeles isn’t going to go well.
“I talked to a couple people yesterday about Deandre Ayton,” MacMahon said on the “Hoop Collective Podcast.” “I talked to one former Phoenix staffer, one former Portland staffer. And the former Phoenix staffer is like, ‘This is not going to work. He’s going to do his little half roll thing, Luka’s going to get fed up with him. JJ Redick is going to get driven crazy. This is going to be a disaster.’
“The former Portland staffer was like, ‘Listen. Everything that went wrong in Portland, some of it was on Deandre, some of it was on the organization.’ His feeling, though, was Ayton is going to understand the situation here. He’s not a max player. He’s a guy who’s been dumped by two franchises.”
This Could Be Ayton’s Last Chance to Make Big Money
Ayton is going to have way more eyes on him now that he’s in Los Angeles instead of Phoenix or Portland. If he pulls the same things he did in smaller markets, everybody is going to know about.
If he fails with the Lakers, it’s going to make him a toxic asset. That will make it very difficult for him to get real money in free agency again. However, if it goes well and he doesn’t cause any issues, he stands to make tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, on his next contract. He likely understands this and will be on his best behavior.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Strike Deal to Reunite With Maligned Center: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.