Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick, Lakers
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General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with the media during a press conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers need a center. They might end up losing the only one they have.
Jaxson Hayes, the only legitimate center on the Lakers roster after the Anthony Davis-Luka Dončić trade, might be heading elsewhere this offseason as an unrestricted free agent, according to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints.
“In terms of returning talent, sources say there is an outside chance of Jaxson Hayes returning, but he wasn’t thrilled about his role disappearing in the postseason and the money he lost as his minutes dwindled,” Irwin wrote. “From the Lakers’ perspective, they’re weighing [JJ] Redick losing faith in him, how he might handle them bringing in his replacement or the inevitable demotion he’d be in line for this summer.”
Hayes and Dončić share the same agent, Bill Duffy.
Jaxson Hayes on Getting Benched in the Playoffs
Jaxson Hayes, LeBron James, Lakers
Getty Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates a play with LeBron James.
Hayes only played a total of 31 minutes in the Lakers’ five-game loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. He was benched in Game 5.
“They told me, they shared with me to just stay ready, and they’re going to try some other things out,” Hayes said of his CD-DNP in Game 5. “That was coach’s decision, and I respect that always.”
The 7-foot center averaged 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 7.5 minutes in the playoffs as Redick doubled down on small-ball lineups against the bigger Timberwolves frontcourt.
Hayes’ putrid postseason numbers were a far cry from his regular-season averages of 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds while making 72.2% of his shots.
There was a time when Hayes looked like the center of the future for the Lakers. After the Lakers made the Dončić trade and rescinded the Mark Williams deal, Hayes averaged 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists as the starting center. He benefited from Dončić’s playmaking as he feasted on lobs, and in turn, was energized on defense.
Until the playoffs arrived and his role was reduced.
Lakers’ Type of Center
During his end-of-season press conference, newly promoted Lakers president Rob Pelinka laid out the guidelines in their search for their next center.
“In terms of center traits, it would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, a lob threat, and someone who can protect the interior defensively. I think those would be keys,” Pelinka told reporters. “But there are multiple types of centers that could be effective in the league. There are also spread centers that can protect the rim.
“We’ll look at those as well. So I wouldn’t want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.”
The Lakers do not have the spending power to add an All-Star center to pair with Dončić and LeBron James. They will have to get it via trade route and again, offer Dalton Knecht and their 2031 first-round pick along with over $70 million in expiring contracts as salary fillers. It will also cost them Austin Reaves.
Myles Turner Linked to Lakers as ‘Clear Fit’
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton named Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner as a “clear fit” with the Lakers and with their Western Conference rivals Golden State Warriors, who are also looking to add size to their small frontcourt.
“Turner has featured in trade rumors so long that he has been linked to just about every team in need of a starting center. A sign-and-trade would be complicated for the Warriors and the Lakers, but both franchises are clear fits in the unlikely event the Pacers and Turner can’t strike a deal,” Pelton wrote.
Turner will certainly command higher than his current $19.9 million salary, the final season of a two-year, $40 million deal. The problem is the Lakers do not have the cap room unless James declines his $52.6 million player option for next season and re-signs for a substantial pay cut. But they can also execute a sign-and-trade that will likely involve Reaves or Rui Hachimura.