Tag: Jaxson Hayes

What the experts are saying about the Lakers’ free agent moves

Here is what some pundits in the national media are saying about how the Lakers have done in free agency.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ main objective heading into free agency this year was to retain as much of their core as possible. They achieved that goal by getting Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell to agree to new contracts without overpaying for them.

Guards Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker IV, both of whom played key roles throughout the season, left as free agents. But the Lakers may have found a replacement for Schroder by signing Gabe Vincent, who helped the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals with some gritty play at both ends of the court.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles added wings Taurean Prince, who is considered a 3-and-D forward, and Cam Reddish, who is considered to have untapped potential. The center position remains a weakness, but the team agreed to terms with Jaxson Hayes, an athletic and energetic 6-foot-11 big man.

All in all, it has been a very solid free agency period for the Lakers so far. Here is what some pundits in the national media are saying about how the team has done.

Center Jaxson Hayes agrees to sign with the Lakers

The Lakers have agreed to terms with center Jaxson Hayes in order to fill their thinnest position.

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The Los Angeles Lakers had a solid first day of free agency. They upgraded at the wing and forward spots by signing 6-foot-7 Taurean Prince, a 3-and-D player, and by taking a chance on former lottery pick Cam Reddish, a player they have targeted for a while.

They added Gabe Vincent, a plucky guard who just helped the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals. Additionally, they re-signed Rui Hachimura, one of the key midseason acquisitions that turned the 2022-23 campaign around for them and one of their biggest priorities this offseason.

However, a big hole remained at the center spot. Anthony Davis was their only player under contract who could ably play the position.

In an attempt to fill that hole, Los Angeles agreed to a two-year deal with center Jaxson Hayes.

Hayes hasn’t put up big numbers in his four NBA seasons, but at 6-foot-11, he is an active center who can rebound, play a little defense and finish strong at the rim off lob passes.

Pelicans’ Jaxson Hayes named ‘sleeper’ target for Bulls in free agency

As the Chicago Bulls look to improve their roster, New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes could be a “sleeper” target in free agency.

The Chicago Bulls will need to make a number of roster tweaks this summer if they hope to make the playoffs next year. They were eliminated in the play-in tournament this past season, but Arturas Karnisovas seems intent on making the current core work.

For that to happen, he will need to seriously adjust the roster around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic or next year will bring more of the same. One of the top priorities should be adding a backup big man who can play a different role than the one Vucevic and Andre Drummond play.

According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, New Orleans Pelicans big man Jaxson Hayes could be a sleeper target for the Bulls in free agency this summer as they look to add more athleticism.

“Frontcourt athleticism should be a priority for Chicago this summer,” Buckley wrote. “Jaxson Hayes hasn’t established much during his first four seasons, which is why he might be available for cheap, but the fact that he’s one of the Association’s more athletically gifted bigs is obvious.”

Hayes’ mobility even makes him a potential candidate to play some power forward minutes, per Buckley.

“Hayes is so athletic that he can shift down to the 4 spot and hang with stretch forwards without any issues,” Buckley wrote. “He has even dabbled in distance shooting at times (20 3s on 35.1% shooting in 2021-22), which could make it even easier to play him alongside another big without sacrificing spacing or mobility.”

If the Bulls can pry Hayes from the Pelicans for a reasonable price, he could be a nice project for them.

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Every former Longhorn in the 2023 NBA playoffs

Texas is well-represented in the NBA playoffs.

The University of Texas is well-represented in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Seven former Longhorns are set to participate in postseason play.

The NBA play-in tournament takes place from April 11-14, while the rest of the playoff bracket begins on April 15.

The playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first round matches the top seed against the eighth seed, the second seed against the seventh seed, the third seed against the sixth seed, and the fourth seed against the fifth seed. The winners of each first-round series advance to the second round, until the two conference champions meet in the NBA Finals.

At least one former Longhorn has played in the NBA finals in 11 out of the last 12 seasons. PJ Tucker most recently earned his first championship as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

13-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant is eyeing his third career NBA title, this time as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Here is a complete look at all seven former Texas Longhorns gearing up to compete in the NBA playoffs.

Trades that make a lot of sense: Kyrie Irving to the Lakers and more

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

Trades that make a lot of sense: Kyrie Irving to the Lakers and more

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

New mock trade has Sixers acquiring big man Jaxson Hayes from Pelicans

A new mock trade has the Philadelphia 76ers acquiring Jaxson Hayes from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The offseason is now here as it has come much earlier than expected for the Philadelphia 76ers. After swinging for the fences to acquire James Harden back at the deadline in February, they once again fell in the second round of the playoffs.

This is now the fourth time in five seasons that the Sixers couldn’t get past Round 2 in the postseason. The Harden-Joel Embiid duo was formidable, but the roster is still flawed and that is where the questions arise about this team.

One of them is the bench unit and who is going to back up Embiid. In the Harden trade, Philadelphia had to include Andre Drummond in the deal and the Sixers then signed DeAndre Jordan to back up the big fella.

The Jordan minutes in the playoffs were tough and then there were times where Paul Reed played well, but he fouled too much. Therefore, the Sixers are once again on the hunt for a backup center.

In a mock trade performed by Bleacher Report, the Sixers call up the New Orleans Pelicans and move Reed and Furkan Korkmaz for the athletic Jaxson Hayes:

It’s no secret that the Sixers will go shopping for a backup center this offseason, and preferably one not at the end of his career, either.

Hayes should be available, especially if Zion Williamson can return to a New Orleans frontcourt that already features Jonas Valanciunas, Herbert Jones and Larry Nance Jr.

The 21-year-old still has plenty of upside and is a good enough outside shooter to keep driving lanes open for James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and others.

Hayes averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 35.1% from deep in the 2021-22 season. He is reliable and he fits today’s era with his athleticism and his ability to run the floor as well as shoot the ball to open driving lanes for the heavy lifters.

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This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Mikal Bridges and Jaxson Hayes exchanging these two unbelievable blocks against each other will leave you in awe

These plays are just unreal.

It’s always amazing to see teams going back and forth in an up-and-down NBA game.

Sometimes, that takes the form of one team coming down and hitting a tough jumper like this one from Devin Booker that got him some dap from a baby. Or maybe it’s two players hitting each other with incredible crossovers. At times, it could even be two back-to-back dunks against each other that are pretty spectacular.

Typically, though, those amazing back-and-forths come on the offensive end of the floor. Rarely do we see it happening defensively.

But on Tuesday night? Mikal Bridges and Jaxson Hayes gave us an absolute delight of a block party during Game 2 of the Suns and Pelicans series.

Just incredible plays all around, man. This is one of the best sequences we’ve seen all year and it’s not close. The displays of athleticism here are spectacular on both sides.

First of all, Bridges absolutely swatting Hayes’ shot straight up while standing at 6’6 is a sight to behold. Hayes measures in at 6’11. That’s a full five inches he has on Bridges, who clearly just showed us why he was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year — again.

But then there’s Hayes’ block, which might be a bit more spectacular. I mean, this dude goes up and literally grabs Bridges’ shot on the other in with TWO hands. TWO.

Look at this, y’all.

This display of athleticism is just ridiculous, man. It shouldn’t be possible, yet here we are.

I guess that’s why they say the NBA is where amazing happens. Because, well, there’s not a better way to describe what we just witnessed here. I don’t know about y’all, but I wouldn’t mind 7 games of this at all.

Jaxson Hayes arrested, hospitalized after altercation with police

An alleged domestic disturbance results in the a violent altercation between the Pelicans big man and the police.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes was arrested early Wednesday morning in Los Angeles following an altercation with the police, TMZ reported.

According to TMZ, law enforcement were called to a Los Angeles residence for a domestic disturbance. When the police attempted to enter the home, Hayes got physical with the officers which ultimately ended with Hayes getting tased and sent to the hospital for minor injuries. An officer involved in the incident was also treated for injuries.

Per Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the Pelicans released a statement regarding the situation.

“We have been made aware of the incident involving Jaxson Hayes. We are working in conjunction with the NBA and Jaxson’s representatives to gather more information and will have no further comment at this time.”

2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Jaxson Hayes

In a tale of two halves to the season, Jaxson Hayes started poorly and finished impressively for the Pelicans in 2021.

Like his classmate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes had a season of two halves. After struggling so much in the first half of the year that he fell out of the regular rotation, Hayes played his way back into the mix for the Pelicans, most importantly for the future, back into a valuable piece of New Orleans’ young core.

Stat of the Season

102.9.

In the final 38 games, Hayes was a vital piece of the Pelicans. He started in only two of those games but appeared in 37 of them and had a defensive rating of 102.9 in that span, the best of any rotation player on the team.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On when things changed this season…

“Being benched, that’s what kind of made things click. It was like I have to make sure I come into work every day and be professional about everything and make sure I’m getting it in every day and getting better. I can only control the things that I can control.”

Overview

If a sophomore slump truly exists, Hayes’ first 34 games can be used as Exhibit A. The big man played in each of the first 16 games, but never could find his place on either end of the court, often floating through games with little impact.

Between Jan. 29 and March 1, a span of 17 games for the Pelicans, Hayes played just seven times and averaged just over 10 minutes per appearance. Through March 1, Hayes’ net rating on the season was a team-worst minus-8.8.

However, after sitting out four straight games, Hayes stepped back into the rotation on March 3 against Chicago, reached double figures in scoring for just the third time on the season.

He was rewarded with consistent minutes and returned the favor with consistent production over the second half of the year.

Outlook

Without putting too much into one sample size of games over the other, it’s hard not to walk away from the season optimistic about Hayes’ future. How optimistic the Pelicans are about him could determine what the team does with Steven Adams moving forward.

It is interesting to note that Hayes’ net rating alongside Zion Williamson was far better than Steven Adams’. In fact, over the final 38 games, Hayes and Williamson played 285 minutes together and had a plus-9.6 net rating.

Regardless if he’s the starter next season, he’s a part of the Pelicans’ future, which is quite a statement to make after how he started the year.

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