(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers were on the phones all night at the start of free agency.
They made several big and surprising moves on Friday night.
And when Saturday morning rolled around, they still weren’t done.
Adrian Wojnarowski, via NBA on TNT, is reporting that Jaxson Hayes, formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans, has agreed to a two-year deal with the Lakers.
According to Wojnarowski, the deal with have a player option for the second year.
Jaxson Hayes has agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/p1YgFsZqMl
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) July 1, 2023
Hayes, at just 23 years old, has shown some serious talent while playing as a center for the Pelicans.
Yet, he wasn’t able to earn a role as a regular player for New Orleans and only played for an average of 13 minutes in 2022-23, down from 20 in the season before.
With his young age and his size (he is 6-foot-11) there is a big upside to the Lakers signing Hayes.
He could help them with producing points in the paint and, of course, he could become an integral part of their defense too.
Plus, at 23, he is still young and able to be crafted, molded, and changed by the coaching staff.
Hayes is just the latest in impressive free agency moves for the Lakers.
They agreed to a new deal with Rui Hachimura and also brought on Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prine, and Cam Reddish all within a few hours of each other.
And they are still waiting on a deal with Austin Reaves.
The Lakers have been very driven at the start of free agency but they might be running out of money and players to offer it to, so they will likely be slowing down soon.
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