Latest news with #JaxsonHayes
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Another Lakers game during NBA's opening week has been announced
The Los Angeles Lakers will open up the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday, Oct. 21, by hosting Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. That game is the second game of a doubleheader on the first night of the regular season schedule league-wide. The Lakers will also reportedly head to Northern California and take on the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Oct. 26. On Wednesday, the NBA unveiled every nationally televised game that will take place during the first week of the regular season, and it revealed that L.A. will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Oct. 24. That contest will be shown on Amazon Prime Video. The Timberwolves, of course, knocked the Lakers out of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in five games. They exposed L.A.'s very weak center rotation, which featured Jaxson Hayes, who is best suited to being a backup, and a number of forwards who were forced to masquerade as small-ball centers. That resulted in L.A. getting badly outrebounded. But this coming season, the Lakers will have Deandre Ayton, who has career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds a game, starting at the 5. They will also be able to deploy former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart on budding superstar Anthony Edwards, who went off for 43 points in Game 4 of that first-round playoff series in May. The full regular-season schedule for all 30 teams will be released on Thursday, Aug. 14.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaxson Hayes Could Become The Brook Lopez-Type Player the Lakers Desperately Need
Jaxson Hayes Could Become The Brook Lopez-Type Player the Lakers Desperately Need originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Los Angeles Lakers have been very active in addressing their roster needs this offseason. With the signing of Deandre Ayton and the re-signing of Jaxson Hayes, the Purple and Gold effectively fortified their frontcourt. The addition of Ayton in free agency gave the Lakers the reliable and athletic center they had been looking to pair with their star Luka Doncic. But considering the player profiles they'd listed for big man targets, they may have missed out on acquiring a sharpshooting big man. While Brook Lopez had been presented as a potential signing, the Lakers failed to land him, as the former Milwaukee Bucks center signed with the Clippers instead. Losing out on Lopez was a roadblock, but the Lakers may have found a solution. With a recent video highlighting Jaxson Hayes' steady improvement as a three-point shooter, the Purple and Gold may be developing him into the floor-spacing big man they needed. In the video, Hayes can be seen taking lightly contested shots from the top of the key, with some impressive accuracy to boot. With clean mechanics on the set shot, there is legitimate in-game application for this as well. Hayes has primarily acted as a lob threat. Whether it is off the pick-and-roll or in the dunker's spot, the big man has always leveraged his athleticism and jumping ability to finish at the rim with authority. Adding a three-point shot could see him add another layer to his game, especially in the pick-and-roll. The natural transition would be for him to roll towards the basket, but a reliable shot from the perimeter would give him an option to invert his movement and retreat to the three-point line. This would effectively create a mismatch in a pick-and-pop situation. When paired with a talented playmaker like Doncic, Hayes could easily recreate these variations of the traditional pick-and-roll play. This would undoubtedly give the Lakers' offense a lot more variety and depth. At 7'0", there are very few players who would be capable of contesting any shots attempted by Hayes. While this could be a sign of development, the road towards becoming a reliable perimeter shooter is a long one. Hayes has not implemented the three-point shot as part of his offensive game. In the last two seasons, Hayes has recorded fewer than 0.1 three-pointers attempted per game, resulting in an average of 0%. If the template set out for him is to be like Brook Lopez, Hayes has a lot of work to do. But the outlook is still positive, especially considering Lopez's career trajectory. Early in his career, Lopez was more of a traditional big man. While boasting solid defensive and shot-blocking abilities, he had established himself as a threat in the low post. It was only in his ninth season in the league that Lopez began attempting more three-pointers. With 5.2 three-pointers attempted per game during the 2016-17 season, he recorded a respectable average of 34.6% from beyond the arc. This was a transitional stage for Lopez's career, and it eventually paid off for him, earning him the reputation of a reliable floor-spacing big man. At 25 years old, Hayes could see a dramatic improvement in performance if he could develop confidence from three-point range. While he may not have the latitude Lopez had, who was a starter with the Nets during his transition period, Hayes could still be an effective contributor off the story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaxson Hayes Returns To The Lakers On A One-Year Deal
Jaxson Hayes Returns To The Lakers On A One-Year Deal originally appeared on Fadeaway World. In the aftermath of the Deandre Ayton acquisition, the Los Angeles Lakers have just agreed to terms on a deal to shore up the rest of their frontcourt rotation. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Jaxson Hayes has officially rejoined the Lakers on a one-year deal. Advertisement "Free agent center Jaxson Hayes has agreed on a one-year deal to return to the Los Angeles Lakers," wrote Shams. "Hayes' agents, Bill Duffy and Marlon Harrison of WME Basketball, finalized a contract with Lakers president Rob Pelinka on Thursday. Hayes emerged as the Lakers' starting center last season and shot a career high 72.2% from the field and finished top-10 in field goal percentage allowed as a contesting defender on layups and dunks among players to contest 250+ shots. Now backs up new Lakers big man Deandre Ayton." It's no secret that the Lakers have been looking to strengthen their frontcourt, and they managed to secure an upgrade at the position with Deandre Ayton, who signed a two-year, $16.6 million contract with the team this week. The deal also includes a no-trade clause. Alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Ayton is expected to provide a major boost with his size, rebounding, and finishing ability around the rim. Still, Rob Pelinka knew the Lakers needed more depth at center and, specifically, his team needed a reliable backup big man. Ultimately, he settled on Hayes after watching his play last year. Hayes was the Lakers' primary starting center last season, and he played well in the role given that he's a backup center. In 56 games last season, he averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game on 72.2% shooting. Advertisement He was crucial throughout the season, providing assistance and support for Anthony Davis. When Davis was ultimately traded for Luka Doncic in February, Hayes' role became even more important as he was the only one to provide a steady presence under the rim. With Hayes down low, Doncic was able to make the connection for easy lobs, and it elevated the entire team. Defensively, Hayes's length and shot-blocking ability ensured they had some resistance in the frontcourt and someone to play in bigger matchups, like the Timberwolves and Nuggets. This summer, nobody was sure if Hayes would return, especially since there were reports that he was unhappy in his role. Doubt on his return only grew after they signed Deandre Ayton. But after his admirable performance last season, Pelinka saw a place for Hayes in the rotation, and now he'll get to return next season to the same team in his proper role as a backup center. It remains to be seen what else the Lakers will do this offseason, but they are already much improved with their signings over the past few months, which include some young players (Adou Thiero, Eric Dixon, R.J. Davis, Augustas Marciulionis, Arthur Kaluma) along with Deandre Ayton and Jaxon Hayes. Related: LeBron James And The Lakers Are Drifting Apart After Seven Years Together This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Details on Lakers' free agent signings, salary cap flexibility
The Los Angeles Lakers officially signed free agents Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes on Sunday. While these signings likely won't make them legitimate championship contenders this coming season, it is a solid start to this offseason. Ayton will be paid $8.1 million this coming season after agreeing to a buyout of his previous contract with the Portland Trail Blazers last Sunday. That previous contract would've paid him $35.55 million for the 2025-26 campaign. LaRavia will get the remaining $6 million of the Lakers' full mid-level exception. Advertisement It was expected that Hayes would perhaps sign for the veteran's minimum salary. However, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Hayes will get $3.45 million this coming season, which is 120% of his six-year minimum. Therefore, Los Angeles will have just $3.9 million of its bi-annual exception to use on at least one more free agent — but only if it waives guard Shake Milton. The NBA's new salary cap structure, which is essentially a hard cap, has changed how teams are making moves across the league. With LeBron James exercising his player option for a mammoth $52.6 million, the Lakers are short on options as far as getting one or two more players to put them over the top. Advertisement Most agree the team needs one or two two-way players at the guard and wing spots to become a serious title contender. It could perhaps kill two birds with one stone by executing a trade to bring in a useful player while also shedding a bit of salary in order to open up the full bi-annual exception. Los Angeles is not necessarily done making moves. In addition to the lingering chance of a trade being made, the team is reportedly expected to sign guard De'Anthony Melton, and it also has interest in guard Ryan Rollins. For now, fans will likely wonder why Hayes was signed to more than the veteran's minimum while perhaps criticizing general manager Rob Pelinka for doing so. Advertisement This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Details on Lakers' free agent signings, salary cap flexibility
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Jabari Walker to sign 2-way deal with 76ers
A deal involving seven teams highlights the weekend. Meanwhile, Houston is parting ways with one of its young assets. Jacob Kupferman / Getty ImagesI don't know how on earth the 76ers got Jabari Walker on a 2-way contract, but he is absolutely an NBA player and I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up in the Sixers' rotation. The fourth-year forward was a victim of a numbers game in the Blazers' frontcourt. But he rebounds, has some stretch capability and is still only 22 years old. My BORD$ formula had a value of $7.3 million on Walker. Meg Oliphant / Getty Images Jaxson Hayes has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Lakers, a league source confirms to The Athletic. During a 16-game stretch around the time of the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis deal, Hayes was terrific. The Lakers went 14-2 and he averaged 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Hayes struggled after a knee injury and, obviously, the playoffs were the playoffs. But with him and Deandre Ayton, the Lakers have two lob threats at center. The Lakers, as is, also believe in Maxi Kleber's value as a stretch big. He's recovering well from foot surgery last January and could give them another dimension in their center rotation. The Pelicans waiving guard Antonio Reeves only makes sense if they are stretching his money to add a player who makes roughly $5 million, with either their biannual exception or the rest of their nontaxpayer midlevel exception, and want to do it while staying below the luxury tax. Reeves was guaranteed $1.955 million for this coming season, and New Orleans would be just more than $5 million below the tax if his money were stretched. If so, waiving a second-year player who shot 39.5 percent from 3 as a rookie would be a continuation of the string of bizarre moves emanating from the Pelicans of late. Reeves instantly becomes a priority two-way target, if not a roster add for the minimum, especially for younger teams trying to build. Our Doug Haller reported last month that the Suns were expected to try to part ways with Bradley Beal, and now an Arizona Republic report says that a buyout is being discussed. Phoenix buying out would save at least $34 million from its cap number for the coming season and make it possible for the Suns to escape the luxury tax entirely, although the Suns might clear it by mere pennies. Beal must give back at least $13.8 million for the Suns to legally stretch him, as our Fred Katz reported recently, and if that were to happen, the Suns would have a cap charge of $19.4 million over the next five years — a far cry from his $53.7 million salary in 2025-26. GO FURTHER How Jalen Green and Devin Booker can co-exist in a Suns backcourt My colleague Sam Amick has confirmed via a league source reports that center Jonas Valančiūnas, whom the Sacramento Kings agreed to trade to the Denver Nuggets at the start of free agency, is considering a move to the EuroLeague and an offer to play for Greek club Panathinaikos Athens. Valančiūnas has two years and a little more than $20 million left on his deal. If the agreed-upon trade goes through (Sam says it's still on, per a league source), Denver would have to waive or buy Valančiūnas out of his $10.4 million for 2025-26 for him to exit. I'm sure the Kroenkes are salivating over saving that cash, but the only plausible big-man replacement move would be signing Al Horford. Nobody else is left on the market, and the Nuggets have nothing to put into a trade. GO FURTHER Winners (Hawks), losers (July) and more from NBA free agency's first days No surprise on Houston waiving Jock Landale. In the absence of another trade, Houston needs to waive both his non-guaranteed deal and that of Nate Williams to get below the first apron, where the Rockets are currently hard-capped as a result of using their nontaxpayer midlevel exception on Dorian Finney-Smith. Williams has no trigger date on his guarantee, and the Rockets can keep him and stay under the apron if they move the contract of Cam Whitmore. If need be, Houston can also drag its feet on officially re-signing one of Jeff Green or Jae'Sean Tate while it figures out the resolution of that last roster spot. Steph Chambers / Getty Images For Deandre Ayton, who turns 27 at the end of July, the opportunity to re-establish himself couldn't be more clear. While his contract with the Lakers has a second-year player option, no one involved wants him to exercise it — the hope being that he far outplays that $8 million valuation and commands way more next summer. Team sources believe the Lakers have the right coaching staff to make that happen. In JJ Redick, they have a deadly serious head coach who also understands how to relate to players. Assistant Scott Brooks worked with Ayton in Portland two years ago, and Nate McMillan has either played or coached with or against virtually every personality type the NBA's ever concocted. And if not, the Lakers have maintained their flexibility for next summer and beyond. The Lakers weren't going to do better this summer than Deandre Ayton, not with what was on the market, not with the little they had to offer. If you polled 29 other general managers about whether they'd rather trade a first-round pick for Nic Claxton or if they'd rather pay Ayton $8 million, we can be pretty confident in the answer. And if there was hesitation, it wouldn't be because of the stuff on the court. It would be concerns about the culture, the fit, the commitment, the understanding about the required sacrifices that need to be made in order to win at the highest level. Read more of my column on the Ayton signing here. GO FURTHER Deandre Ayton fits with LeBron, Luka and the Lakers on the court. Will that be enough? Michael Reaves / Getty Images While things are slow ... I don't think the Knicks' tax apron situation has received enough attention. By adding Guershon Yaubsele via the taxpayer midlevel exception, the Knicks will trigger the second apron. It is going to take some serious limbo to stay beneath it. After agreeing to a minimum deal with Jordan Clarkson, New York has two open roster spots left. At the moment, they cannot sign a veteran to either one. The only players they could fit into those spots are ones they drafted — 2024 second-round Kevin McCullar (for $2,048,914) into one spot, and either 2025 second-rounder Mohamed Diawara, 2023 second-rounder James Nnaji or 2021 second-rounder Rokas Jokubaitis (for $1,272,870) into the other. Any other combination of salaries signed this summer would put the Knicks over the second apron. There are two possibilities to get around this. The most likely one is that Yabusele takes slightly less than the full nontaxpayer midlevel exception. If he takes just $36,641 below that number, the Knicks can put a veteran into McCullar's spot and fill the other with any of the second-rounders besides McCullar. The second possibility is that the Knicks sign non-McCullar second-rounders into both spots, but waive Ariel Hukporti's non-guaranteed deal and put a veteran into his place instead. In the meantime, one can see why New York picked up Hukporti's team option. Right now the difference between his $1.955 million salary and the $2.3 million veteran minimum is the glue holding New York's entire salary cap Jenga structure together. Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Mike Brown's defining trait comes in his attention to detail. He is notoriously organized. After he picks up his mail at home, he stacks up the envelopes, dividing each into different categories before opening them. His office is always 'immaculate,' said Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser, who overlapped with Brown for six seasons in Golden State. He color codes his plays, often carrying various pens — a red one, a blue one, a black one, etc. — so that he can diagram them as clearly as possible. When he was with the Warriors, he would categorize pens in his locker by their colors. Just to mess with him, other coaches would switch them around, removing a red pen from its intuitive group and place it among the blues. Brown would notice quickly and restore order. Brown is a copious note taker. At any given moment around the team, he could be holding a massive folder that contains all his scribbles. 'It's like his basketball bible,' Fraser said. The coach will notice an interesting tidbit another team has added or think of a play and jot it down without hesitation. Later, just to make Marie Kondo jealous, he will go back and reillustrate his diagram, making sure to create a color-coded version. He expects the same attention to detail from those around him, from the players to the coaches to the rest of the franchise. Read the rest of my feature on the likely new Knicks head coach. GO FURTHER Who might the Knicks get in Mike Brown? Two-time Coach of the Year is still evolving Mike Lawrie / Getty Images We gave up another first-rounder pick to avoid the luxury tax! The fourth one of the Nikola Jokić era! Yay? I get some of the enthusiasm about Denver's secondary moves to fill out the bench. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valančiūnas are all massive upgrades on the flotsam that passed for a second unit a year ago. But they traded an extremely valuable asset — a 2032 unprotected first-round pick — in a swap of forwards that turned Michael Porter Jr. into Cam Johnson. You can nitpick small differences in their games, but this was a deal whose sole driving inspiration was avoiding paying the luxury tax again. That's a sad way to operate while the best player who will ever wear a Nuggets uniform is still in his prime. If you don't think this is bad, just consider: What else could the Nuggets have done with that 2032 pick if they had actually been looking at deals to make the team better, rather than just ones that let them tread water while avoiding spending money? Here's the thing, though: Jokić is so good that this team is a legitimate contender; the Nuggets gave the Thunder all they could handle in the second round in May and have some reinforcements this time around. It's just sad to think of how much opportunity has been squandered by the Nuggets constantly using draft picks to dump money. The one time they used future picks to actually build their team, they landed Aaron Gordon. GO FURTHER Winners (Hawks), losers (July) and more from NBA free agency's first days Caw-caw! Under new GM Onsi Saleh, the Hawks had a fantastic draft week, acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis in a deal to be finalized soon and then burning the New Orleans Pelicans by getting an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 that could land one of the top picks in a loaded draft. They followed it up with stellar work in the free-agent market. Atlanta used its $25 million trade exception from the Dejounte Murray trade to land Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Minnesota at a price just above the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, essentially squeezing out all their competition, and then added Luke Kennard on a one-year deal. Those two additions fortify what was an extremely shaky shooting and ballhandling situation in the non-Trae Young minutes, and in Alexander-Walker, the Hawks added a second lockdown backcourt defender to go with stopper Dyson Daniels. The Hawks also seem likely to get some small bit of compensation for letting Clint Capela go to Houston in a sign-and-trade. Now, for the fun part: Could Atlanta do more? Capela's outbound salary is enough to offset Alexander-Walker's, which means the Hawks could keep that $25 million trade exception alive for something else. They would have to work quickly since it expires on July 6, the first day deals can be ratified in the new cap year, and they would have to send out some salary to stay below the first-apron threshold (where they're hard-capped due to signing Kennard with the nontaxpayer MLE), but it's something to ponder. In the event things stay less spicy, the Hawks still have back-end work to do on the roster with their $5.1 million biannual exception and veteran's minimums; the Hawks are an estimated $7.4 million below the tax line with at least two open roster spots to fill and could use another small forward and a stretch four. Read on for more free agency winners and losers. GO FURTHER Winners (Hawks), losers (July) and more from NBA free agency's first days Jerome Miron / Imagn Jared Dudley, a Dallas Mavericks assistant for the last four years, is headed to Denver to become the Nuggets' lead assistant coach, a league source confirmed. His departure means Jason Kidd's coaching staff in Dallas will look radically different next season. All three of Kidd's top assistants from last season have left in the past five months. In March, Alex Jensen accepted a job as the head men's coach at the University of Utah. In June, Sean Sweeney became the San Antonio Spurs' associated head coach. Now, Dudley leaves Dallas for a promotion. Additionally, God Shammgod is taking a job on Jamahl Mosley's staff with the Orlando Magic. Shammgod began working for the Mavericks in 2016 and has a close relationship with Kyrie Irving. So far, the Mavericks have hired two former head coaches as replacements in Jay Triano and Frank Vogel. Vogel was the head coach of the Lakers' championship-winning team in 2020; Kidd worked under him in L.A. as an assistant. Remember when NBA free agency was an event, something that dragged on for days as players took meetings, teams prepared dog-and-pony shows for prospective free agents and entire front-office staffs huddled up in cramped hotel rooms in The Hamptons? It was only nine years ago that Kevin Durant put the entire league on hold while he figured out his next destination. It was only eight years ago that Gordon Hayward did the same. (I swear to you this really happened.) And it wasn't just the stars who got this treatment; take it from somebody who flew cross-country to make a sales pitch to Solomon Hill. Welcome to the speed chess version of the same game. We're a few days into free agency, and aside from the annual drawn-out saga of restricted free agents, we're basically done. Read on to understand why and to see my early winners and losers. GO FURTHER Winners (Hawks), losers (July) and more from NBA free agency's first days Brad Penner / Imagn After we finished digesting the news of the three terrible Achilles tears of the playoffs, another question emerged: Which teams would rise to fill the void in the battered, miserable Eastern Conference? Going chronologically, injuries to Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton put the immediate fates of the last two conference champions and the team with the conference's best player in doubt. Without those stars, it would be difficult for their teams to compete in 2025-26 and stay financially responsible at the same time. We've seen all three teams grapple with that in June and early July. The offseason is not over, and neither is free agency — the likes of Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga are still out there as restricted free agents, and trades could still develop. In the wake of most of the major action, it seems wise to reassess the status of the conference. Let's get to this before a trade goes down and shakes all of this up. Read on to see how I classified the current state of the East. GO FURTHER Knicks, Magic or Cavs: Which teams are prepared to jump up in the Eastern Conference? There's nothing near the finish line on the Jonathan Kuminga front as the third night of free agency wrapped up, per league sources. There are conversations ongoing with Warriors and several teams on periphery. The Warriors are also waiting on Al Horford's decision. Former No. 1 overall picks from the lottery era to play for the Los Angeles Lakers: Shaquille O'Neal Joe Smith Kwame Brown LeBron James Dwight Howard Andrew Bogut Anthony Davis Deandre Ayton None of them were drafted by the Lakers. Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Deandre Ayton was a surprise addition to this year's free agency class, negotiating a contract buyout with the Trail Blazers on Sunday night and surrendering a reported $10 million of a $34 million deal. Ayton and Luka Dončić are both represented Bill Duffy, the longtime agent who heads WME Basketball. Dončić, according to league sources, is excited about the opportunity to play with Ayton. The Lakers, according to team and league sources, showed serious interest in veteran center Brook Lopez, who agreed to a two-year deal with the LA Clippers on Monday. He was pegged by many around the NBA as the logical player for the Lakers this free agency cycle. Lopez, 37, is still one of the NBA's best inside-outside centers but doesn't play the kind of pick-and-roll, lob-threat style that Dončić has had the most success with in his career. GO FURTHER Deandre Ayton, Lakers agree to two-year deal: Sources Page 2
