The Los Angeles Lakers certainly had a busy summer as the team has utterly turned over a 53-win team that reached the conference semifinals in favor of a new-look bunch that is better suited to the skillset of star guard Luka Doncic. The Lakers added a slew of defensive-minded wings who, they hope, can knock down perimeter shots, as well as the kind of rim-running big man they’d been seeking to pair with Doncic, Walker Kessler.
The price for Kessler was steep, and the Lakers can hardly be blamed for paying it–$130 million contract, plus two first-round picks and two pick swaps–but it did limit some of the other moves the team was able to make. And it appeared to lock them into Kessler as the starter with a pair of minimum guys behind him. Currently, the Lakers have Kevon Looney, who is a third-stringer, and don’t have a backup.
Except it did not have to be that way, but the Lakers’ insistence on flushing out last year’s roster caught up a Doncic favorite in the reconstruction.
Jaxson Hayes Was a Luka Doncic Favorite With the Lakers
That favorite is backup center Jaxson Hayes, the lanky 26-year-old 7-footer who was with the Lakers for the last three years. Hayes does not quite have the build to be a starter, but he was an effective backup, and his athleticism made him a good fit with Doncic. The two also share an agent, Bill Duffy of WME, and frequently work out together in the offseason.
In fact, Doncic and Duffy nudged Hayes into applying for Slovenian citizenship so he could play for the national team with Doncic. That citizenship was approved in the spring.
The Lakers had an opportunity to keep Hayes in the fold behind Kessler, and the center depth chart would look a lot more attractive for the Lakers if it went Kessler-Hayes-looney rather than Kessler-Looney, which is where it stands now.
Jaxson Hayes Left Lakers on $12 Million Contract
Hayes signed for just two years and $12 million, with a team option for the second year, a very team-friendly contract that the Lakers could have gotten onto their books if they’d made it more of a priority. Hayes averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks last season with the Lakers, in 18.3 minutes per game.
“It did not make sense to me that they let Jaxson Hayes walk but they had to go get a guy like Collin Sexton, who is good, but you can find guys who can do what Collin Sexton does,” one Western Conference coach said. “Especially, you know that Luka Doncic and Hayes have a connection and all of that, it seemed like a clear mistake that they’re paying for now.”
GettyWalker Kessler of the Lakers
Quality PF, Backup C Would Help Luka Doncic
Indeed, the Lakers still have two pretty clear holes on the roster, but few options to fill them. Both are positions key to emphasizing what Doncic does best. One is starting power forward, which is the more pressing need. But the team also does not want to ask too much of Kessler, and having Looney as the sole backup–he averaged 2.8 points in 21 games last season–seems unwise.
The Lakers have been exploring the backup center market, but they’ve had trouble drumming up interest in their remaining trade assets, which include expiring contracts and a scant three future second-round picks, in 2031, 2032 and 2033. The Lakers also have one first-round swap, in 2032, to offer.
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