{"id":62892,"date":"2025-05-29T02:19:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T02:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/62892\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T02:19:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T02:19:10","slug":"jaxson-hayes-expected-to-leave-lakers-after-reportedly-being-unhappy-with-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/62892\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaxson Hayes Expected To Leave Lakers After Reportedly Being Unhappy With Role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jaxson Hayes<\/a>\u2019 brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> appears to be nearing its end, as reports indicate the big man is unlikely to return for the 2025\u201326 season.<\/p>\n

According to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin<\/a>, Hayes was reportedly unhappy with his reduced role down the stretch of the season, especially during the playoffs, where his minutes vanished entirely in crucial games.<\/p>\n

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That frustration, coupled with financial implications due to his dwindling court time, makes his departure from L.A. all but certain.<\/p>\n

Hayes, who signed with the Lakers last offseason, played in 56 regular season games and averaged a respectable 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 72.2% from the field. In 19.5 minutes per game, he offered solid lob-finishing ability, vertical spacing, and mobility on defense.<\/p>\n

However, those contributions all but evaporated in the postseason. Hayes saw his playing time slashed to just 7.8 minutes per game and averaged a mere 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds, shooting only 37.5%. He did not play at all in the team\u2019s decisive Game 5 loss to Minnesota and logged just four minutes in Game 4.<\/p>\n

For Hayes, the writing was on the wall. His reduction in minutes was a byproduct of Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s<\/a> lack of trust in him in high-leverage situations. Redick, known for favoring a five-out offense and positional versatility, seemed to lose faith in Hayes as the season progressed.<\/p>\n

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With the Lakers reportedly prioritizing bigs in both free agency and the trade market this offseason, Hayes’ role was only going to diminish further.<\/p>\n

Lakers President Rob Pelinka is already aggressively working the phones<\/a>. Multiple reports suggest L.A. is targeting a variety of centers<\/a>, with names like Nic Claxton and Daniel Gafford in the mix.<\/p>\n

The failed Mark Williams trade looms large as a missed opportunity, and the Lakers are determined not to make the same mistake again. Sources say the front office recognizes that they cannot rely on a single rim-running big to complement Luka Doncic<\/a>, LeBron James<\/a>, and Austin Reaves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They need multiple options, with varying skill sets, spacing, rim protection, physicality to match the diverse needs of their evolving system.<\/p>\n

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The Lakers are also making moves through the draft. With the No. 55 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they are projected to select Russian center Vladislav Goldin<\/a>, a strong, traditional big man with high upside and physical tools that could fit well in JJ Redick\u2019s evolving system. Goldin\u2019s shot-blocking and rebounding instincts offer immediate value, and his international experience suggests he can develop quickly.<\/p>\n

In terms of trade speculation, Los Angeles is at the center of multiple major rumors. A proposed deal could bring Jarrett Allen from the Cleveland Cavaliers to L.A.<\/a> as the Cavs look to trim salary and rebalance their roster.<\/p>\n

Another rumor suggests the Lakers may target Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in a fair-value deal<\/a> involving Jarred Vanderbilt and future draft picks. A massive three-team trade scenario involving the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Heat<\/a> even proposes sending Ja Morant to Miami while the Lakers receive a super-talented center and a proven wing.<\/p>\n

While Hayes may still draw interest from teams in need of an athletic big man, his inability to maintain consistent impact through a full season and into the playoffs may raise red flags. Nonetheless, a fresh start may be exactly what he needs, especially after the disappointment of being sidelined when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

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Ultimately, both sides seem ready to move on. Hayes wants a bigger role and consistent minutes. The Lakers want dependable frontcourt depth that fits Redick\u2019s vision. And as the Lakers prepare for a pivotal summer in the Luka era, Jaxson Hayes is almost certain to be a roster casualty in their pursuit of championship-level upgrades.<\/p>\n

Related: Best Lakers’ Assets To Acquire A Starting Center Revealed<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jaxson Hayes\u2019 brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers appears to be nearing its end, as reports indicate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790],"tags":[1013,7,193,2619,294,178,399,1178,32,1661,304,4034,1698,300,4044,185,251,150,4033,4043,368,295,307,1247,6,2728,3548],"class_list":{"0":"post-62892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-lakers","8":"tag-austin-reaves","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","11":"tag-daniel-gafford","12":"tag-grizzlies","13":"tag-ja-morant","14":"tag-jarred-vanderbilt","15":"tag-jarrett-allen","16":"tag-jaxson-hayes","17":"tag-jj-redick","18":"tag-knicks","19":"tag-la","20":"tag-la-lakers","21":"tag-lakers","22":"tag-lalakers","23":"tag-lebron-james","24":"tag-los-angeles","25":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","26":"tag-losangeles","27":"tag-losangeleslakers","28":"tag-luka-doncic","29":"tag-miami","30":"tag-minnesota","31":"tag-mitchell-robinson","32":"tag-nba","33":"tag-nic-claxton","34":"tag-vladislav-goldin"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114588730438204582","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}