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Jaxson Hayes is going to run it back with the Los Angeles Lakers for another season.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the center will exercise his player option to stick with the team in 2024-25. Hayes is expected to earn $2.46 million next season, per Spotrac.
The Lakers signed Hayes to a two-year, $4.6 million deal as a free agent last offseason. The second year of the deal was a player option. He was originally selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who traded his draft rights to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Hayes spent four years in New Orleans, overlapping with JJ Redick from 2019-21. The former NBA guard is now the head coach of the Lakers, giving the two some extra familiarity heading into the upcoming year.
Hayes hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft potential, but he’s been able to carve out a niche as a backup big man. The 23-year-old averaged a career-high 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 2021-22.
Even though the Lakers couldn’t offer Hayes regular playing time, he explained during the season that his fit with LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis was too good to pass up.
“This offseason I definitely had a few options and one of the main reasons I wanted to come here was the great players that they had like DLo, like Bron, like AD, Austin, and just be able to play pick-and-roll with guys like DLo and Austin and LeBron,” Hayes said. “So I felt like this was the best choice for me and I definitely don’t regret it.”
As the Lakers shifted Davis to center full-time this season, Hayes was his primary backup when then-head coach Darvin Ham wanted to keep a big lineup on the court. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 70 appearances.
Hayes will almost certainly continue in his role as Davis’ backup next season, though he’s also capable of starting if the nine-time All-Star is injured or needs a day off.
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