The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be clicking in the immediate aftermath of their midseason trade for Luka Dončić. That was not the case in the postseason, however, as the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed their lack of size and depth.
While Jaxson Hayes had moved into a starting role after Anthony Davis was moved, he wound up being played off the court in the postseason. The sixth-year center played a total of 31 minutes in the series and was benched altogether in the fifth and final game.
Although the Lakers will certainly be in the market for a big man this summer, Hayes reportedly wasn’t thrilled about his role down the stretch and isn’t expected to return.
“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,” Clutch Points’ Anthony Irwin wrote Tuesday. “From the Lakers perspective, they’re weighing 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.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Hayes has spent the past two seasons with the Lakers. He appeared in 56 games in 2024-25, making 35 starts. The eighth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game while shooting 72.2% from the field.
His role and production both fell completely off a cliff in the postseason. He averaged just 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.3 apg and 0.3 bpg in 7.8 mpg while shooting 37.5% from the field. It is unclear what Hayes’ market will be, if he does wind up leaving Los Angeles.
More NBA: Former Lakers champion reveals how LeBron James could have ended the GOAT debate
