Tag: Jaxson Hayes

Bleacher Report proposes Lakers trade four players for Zach LaVine

A Bleacher Report writer suggested the Lakers make this questionable trade to land two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.

Are the Los Angeles Lakers going to make any moves this offseason? We’re roughly midway through the summer, and yet they haven’t brought in a single player from another team.

Their only newcomers who are on standard contracts are draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. While Knecht, the No. 17 pick in June’s draft, was expected by many to be a top-10 pick and is considered arguably the most NBA-ready incoming rookie, he cannot necessarily be expected to make a sizable impact this coming season.

Just about everyone agrees the Lakers need a two-way wing and a defensive center. Some would also say they need a legitimate third scorer, if not a legitimate third star.

To that end, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report suggested the Lakers ship out four players in return for the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine, a player they’ve been repeatedly been linked to.

Via Bleacher Report:

“The Trade: Los Angeles Lakers acquire Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls for Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes,” wrote Hughes.

“LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still as good as it gets among NBA duos, and the Lakers can’t go into the 2024-25 season without taking a big swing at supporting them with more high-end talent.

“You’ll notice we didn’t say ‘high-end availability and a demonstrated capacity to drive winning.’ That’s because Zach LaVine, who’s been viewed as something pretty close to trade poison over the last year or so, doesn’t have those things. What he does have is elite scoring skill, as demonstrated by his pair of All-Star nods and 2022-23 average of 24.8 points on a 48.5/37.5/84.8 shooting split.”

LaVine is a somewhat polarizing player. While he is a proven scorer and a pretty efficient one, as Hughes pointed out, it is unclear whether the numbers he puts up can make an impact on a winning team. He has played on a team that finished with a winning record just once — that was in the 2021-22 season when the Bulls won 26 of their first 36 games but lost 15 of their final 22.

Then there is his injury history. He has appeared in over 67 games just once in the last eight seasons, and he played in just 25 games this past season.

If that wasn’t enough, the trade Hughes suggested would leave Los Angeles bereft of frontcourt depth while jettisoning arguably their only effective wing or perimeter defender in Vanderbilt.

Jaxson Hayes is exercising his player option to stay with the Lakers

A key frontcourt bench player is sticking around with the Lakers for one more season.

As the NBA prepares for the official start of free agency, the first dominoes are starting to fall into place for the Los Angeles Lakers.

A big one was the status of starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, who had until Saturday to decide whether to opt in to his player option for the 2024-25 season. Late on Friday night, he reportedly decided to pick up that option, which means he will remain a member of the Lakers — at least for now.

Shortly after, center Jaxson Hayes reportedly followed suit, which means he will also stay on the Lakers’ roster for next season.

Los Angeles signed Hayes last summer in order to provide depth at the center position behind superstar Anthony Davis. Hayes’ intensity and production came and went, but there were times when he boxed out hard, moved without the ball and gave the team a lift off the bench.

The 7-footer averaged 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocked shots in 12.5 minutes a game while shooting 72% from the field during the 2023-24 campaign.

Russell: Jaxson Hayes will ‘make a lot of money this summer’

After Jaxson Hayes played very well in Anthony Davis’ absence on Sunday, D’Angelo Russell said he will be securing a big bag this summer.

The Los Angeles Lakers, faced with yet another key game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, were hit with thunderbolts during their quest to improve their postseason seeding.

LeBron James was ruled out prior to the tip due to an illness, and Anthony Davis left following the first quarter after he was hit in the eye. The absences resulted in a 127-117 loss, and they’re back to ninth in the Western Conference.

That loss caused their chances of finishing at least eighth, let alone avoiding the play-in tournament, to greatly dwindle.

But Sunday was still a great night for Jaxson Hayes, who did an admirable job of filling in for Davis. He scored a season-high 19 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and adding five steals.

Afterward, guard D’Angelo Russell gave Hayes his flowers.

Earlier in the season, Hayes seemed soft at times and often didn’t play to his potential. But he has raised his game more recently, especially since Christian Wood, L.A.’s only other legitimate big man, went down with a knee ailment.

In his last 31 games, Hayes has averaged 6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 15.8 minutes a game while making a remarkable 75.5% of his field-goal attempts. While he will never become a legitimate starting center in the NBA, he has made significant strides in a matter of weeks.

At the same time, his improved play could create a problem for the Lakers. He has a player option for next season, and if he turns it down, it could be difficult for them to re-sign him because they have very little, if any, salary cap flexibility.

Watch: Jaxson Hayes goes between the legs for showtime dunk

In the Lakers’ blowout win over the Raptors on Tuesday, Jaxson Hayes converted one of the team’s best dunks of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to heat up. On Tuesday, they rolled the Toronto Raptors, 128-111, to get their ninth win in their last 12 games. While they’re still in ninth place in the Western Conference, they seem to be building the type of momentum teams need to have going into the postseason.

Tuesday’s game wasn’t close for long. Los Angeles started to take control late in the first quarter, and a very strong third quarter, in which it outscored the Raptors 36-21, put the game out of reach.

With lots of garbage time, Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes was on the court for 19 minutes. On one play, he got out on the front end of a fast break, and he decided to have some fun by performing a scintillating dunk where he put the basketball between his legs.

Hayes finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds and two assists. With Christian Wood likely out for the season, Hayes has stepped up in a satisfactory manner as L.A.’s only real backup center.

Lakers land Marcus Smart, four others in massive three-team B/R mock trade

Would this mock trade supply the Lakers with the missing pieces they need to contend for the NBA championship?

There is just under a month to go before the NBA trade deadline, and rumors are flying regarding what the Los Angeles Lakers might do to make a serious run at another world championship.

The team is 19-19 and in ninth place in the Western Conference, which is not exactly what fans imagined when the season started. While injuries and a rough December travel schedule have been factors, it’s also clear L.A. could use a reinforcement or two.

The Lakers have been linked to Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray, but landing either seems unlikely due to the asking price both are likely to command.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposed a big three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets that could give the Purple and Gold what’s needed to make a title run.

Watch: Austin Reaves’ showtime pass to Jaxson Hayes for the dunk

In the second quarter of Monday’s Lakers versus Knicks game, Austin Reaves served up a highlight reel pass to Jaxson Hayes for a big jam.

The Los Angeles Lakers are having trouble shaking the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. After they fell behind early, they responded with a 12-2 run to end the second quarter and go up 58-57, but they’re engaged in a nip-and-tuck affair in the third quarter.

Early in the second period, as the Lakers were chipping away at their deficit, Austin Reaves gained possession on a fast break. He delivered a behind-the-back assist to Jaxson Hayes for a thunderous dunk.

It was a highlight play that was reminiscent of the Showtime Lakers that dominated the NBA in the 1980s.

Reaves has upped his game in the month of December. During that time, he has averaged 19 points and 5 assists a game while shooting 50% overall and 43.9% from 3-point range. That doesn’t include the in-season tournament title game in which he poured in 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting.

Lakers fans will be happy to see L.A.’s latest injury update

There have been some big changes to the Lakers’ injury report ahead of Saturday’s game versus the Rockets.

So far this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had to deal with one injury after another, sometimes in bunches. While none of those injuries have been particularly serious, they have had affected the team’s performance.

Lately, Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura have missed multiple games with groin soreness and a nasal fracture, respectively. Backup center Jaxson Hayes didn’t play in Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In addition, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Gabe Vincent have been out for multiple weeks. Outside of Anthony Davis, Vanderbilt and Vincent may be L.A.’s best defensive players.

But ahead of Saturday’s home contest versus the Houston Rockets, Hayes and Reddish are listed as probable, while Hachimura and even Vanderbilt are noticeably absent from the injury report.

If the Lakers don’t have any new injuries, they should be able to continue building chemistry after last winter’s trades that remade their supporting cast. They’re 11-9, which puts them in seventh place in the Western Conference, but they’re only two games out of third place, which is held by the Thunder.

Jaxson Hayes will not play in Thursday’s Lakers vs. Thunder game

The Lakers continue to be a bit short-handed as they prepare for an important game on Thursday against the Thunder.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been dealing with a number of minor injuries this season. It seems as if every time one or two of their players are cleared to return, someone else goes down.

Last week, forwards Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura went on the injured list with relatively minor ailments. Reddish made his return on Wednesday in a win over the Detroit Pistons, but in that same game, backup center Jaxson Hayes had to leave with left elbow soreness while wing Max Chrisite suffered a calf ailment.

Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, arguably the Lakers’ two best perimeter defenders, have been out for a while with heel bursitis and a knee ailment, respectively.

While Christie has been cleared to play for L.A.’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hayes will not play in that contest.

The absence of Hayes could be costly, as the Thunder feature rookie big man Chet Holmgren, who is having an excellent season so far. Holmgren, who is 7-foot-1, is averaging 17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds a game while shooting a high percentage.

Watch: Jaxson Hayes puts on dunk show versus the Grizzlies

Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes had his best game of the season so far on Tuesday versus the Grizzlies, and he feasted at the rim.

This past summer, the Los Angeles Lakers, in desperate need of legitimate big man depth behind Anthony Davis, signed Jaxson Hayes in free agency. They hoped his ability to block shots, finish at the rim and leap like a kangaroo on steroids would bolster their bench.

In the first 10 games of this season, Hayes seemed to have minimal impact when he came in to relieve Davis. The 23-year-old came into Tuesday averaging just 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game.

But he came alive in Tuesday’s 134-107 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies. He blocked three shots. On the other end, he had four dunks, two of which were spectacular. One came off an offensive rebound when he missed a free throw, and another came on a fast break off an assist from Austin Reaves.

This is the version of Hayes the team needs to seriously contend for the NBA championship this season.

Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes upgraded to probable for Lakers-Suns game

The chances of Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes returning to action Friday against the Phoenix Suns have gotten better.

The Los Angeles Lakers wrap up a four-game road trip on Friday evening against the Phoenix Suns in what will be their first in-season tournament game of the season. They have lost three games in a row and badly need a win to stop the bleeding.

In addition to their problems making 3-pointers and getting defensive rebounds, they have had mounting injury problems. Los Angeles has been short-handed lately, and it was without Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt in their Wednesday blowout loss to the Houston Rockets.

Davis and Hayes were listed as questionable for Friday’s contest, but with tipoff approaching, both were upgraded to probable.

Hachimura had missed four games, so perhaps this is a sign the Lakers are slowly but surely getting a little healthier.