<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-forfeits-surprising-no-trade-detail-new-la-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaxson Hayes forfeits surprising ‘no-trade’ detail in new Lakers contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jaxson-Hayes-of-the-Los-Angeles-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jaxson Hayes forfeits surprising ‘no-trade’ detail in new Lakers contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-07T12:30:25-07:00">July 7th, 12:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-07T12:30:25-07:00">July 7th, 12:30pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-return-la-1-year-contract">Jaxson Hayes is returning to the Los Angeles Lakers</a> on a one-year contract. It’s a deal that has Hayes returning to L.A. for at least one more season, where he’ll likely serve as the backup behind Deandre Ayton. On Monday, more details were revealed regarding Hayes’ contract.</p><p>Reports indicate that the 25-year-old center <a href="https://x.com/DanWoikeSports/status/1942283568870482123" rel="noopener">waived his no-trade clause</a> to re-sign with the Lakers, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. That decision opens up the possibility of Los Angeles using Jaxson Hayes as a possible trade piece at some point during the season.</p><p>“Jaxson Hayes waived his implicit no-trade clause to re-sign with the Lakers, sources tell The Athletic.”</p><p>Hayes is set to play for the Lakers for his third season after re-signing with the club. The former Texas Longhorn has been the backup center for Los Angeles over recent years, but did have to step into a starting role last season for a little bit after the front office traded Anthony Davis away for Luka Doncic.</p><p>Jaxson Hayes ended the 2024-25 campaign averaging 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 72.2% from the field and 62.2% from the free-throw line. That’s the type of production the Lakers should expect from him next season, assuming he remains in Los Angeles throughout his contract.</p><p>The Lakers have gone out of their way this offseason to find depth behind the starting lineup, while also finding an improvement at center in Ayton. Los Angeles has also acquired Jake LaRavia, who is primed for a depth role at small forward.</p><p>With some subtle news, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-brian-windhorst-la-snubbed-lebron-james-multi-year-request">Lakers are rumored to be building for 2027</a>. However, the club still has LeBron James on the roster, who is in the final year of his deal. With the current roster, Los Angeles appears to be a playoff contender, but the organization’s title hopes may not come to fruition until after next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaxson Hayes forfeits surprising ‘no-trade’ detail in new Lakers contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-return-la-1-year-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaxson Hayes returns to Lakers on 1-year contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_0013.jpeg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jaxson Hayes returns to Lakers on 1-year contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-03T16:29:37-07:00">July 3rd, 4:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-03T16:29:37-07:00">July 3rd, 4:29pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2025 offseason looking to bolster their frontcourt rotation. A day after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-deandre-ayton-contract-free-agency-after-blazers-buyout">agreeing to terms with free agent big man Deandre Ayton</a>, it appears as if the Lakers have their backup center. The Lakers have <a href="https://3.basecamp.com/5767866/buckets/36793780/card_tables/cards/8824643709" rel="noopener">agreed to re-sign</a> veteran center Jaxson Hayes via a one-year contract in free agency, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.</p><p>When gouging the free agency market in terms of available centers, Jaxson Hayes as a backup was not a bad option for the Lakers. While complete terms of the deal were not immediately available, Hayes’ contract is probably for the minimum. Hayes emerged as the team’s starting center following the departure of Anthony Davis, but saw his role diminished during the Lakers’ opening round playoff elimination against the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>Hayes will be entering his third season with the Lakers. He originally signed a two-year contract in free agency during the 2023 offseason, and then exercised his player option to opt-in for last season.</p><p>Hayes appeared in 56 games, including 35 starts, at a little over 19 minutes per game. He averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 72.2 percent shooting from the field and 62.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>But during the playoffs, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-playoff-benching-timberwolves">Hayes gradually saw his role diminished</a> to the point where he was benched by the second half of Game 4 against the Wolves. He did not see any minutes in the elimination Game 5 with JJ Redick opting to go with Maxi Kleber, who had just returned from injury, as the backup center.</p><p>In four games against the Wolves, Hayes averaged 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 37.5 percent from the field in a little over seven minutes per game.</p><p>Hayes was a former teammate of Redick’s back when the pair played for the New Orleans Pelicans. Hayes began his NBA career with the Pelicans, playing four seasons with the team before joining the Lakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaxson Hayes returns to Lakers on 1-year contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-playoff-benching-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1488.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-01T00:30:44-07:00">May 1st, 12:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-01T08:38:26-07:00">May 1st, 8:38am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES – The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-fans-lose-it-brutal-game-5-elimination-loss-timberwolves">Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated</a> from the opening round of the NBA Playoffs following their 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. One of the biggest developments of the series was the reduced role for Lakers’ starting center Jaxson Hayes and <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1917754528956571771" rel="noopener">his ultimate benching</a> in Game 5.</p><p>Following the Lakers’ Game 5 loss to the Timberwolves, Jaxson Hayes spoke about his playoff benching and the team’s elimination, as well as what his conversations with head coach JJ Redick were like amid the decision.</p><p>“It just doesn’t feel real. I feel like we had a great team coming along. After the All-Star break I feel like we started really clicking a lot, it just doesn’t really feel real,” Hayes said. “They told me, they were up straight with me, and saying just to stay ready. That they were gonna try some other things out. That was the coach’s decision and you got to respect that always.”</p><p>The move to permanent small-ball began in throughout the series with Hayes’ minutes slowly decreasing with each game. During the Lakers’ Game 4 loss, he did not play the entire second half as Redick opted to go with Dorian Finney-Smith in the lineup.</p><p>Hayes’ played eight, nine and nine minutes respectively in Games 1-3, four minutes in Game 4, and none in Game 5. Maxi Kleber, who had not played for the Lakers since coming over in the Luka Doncic trade as he recovered from injury, surpassed Hayes in the rotation for Game 5.</p><p>During the regular season, Hayes was somewhat of a revelation for the Lakers especially after Anthony Davis was traded, decimating their already shaky frontcourt depth. Following the trade for Doncic, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-luka-doncic-jaxson-hayes-growth">Hayes developed strong chemistry with the Lakers’ new star</a> as a lob threat.</p><p>Prior to the playoffs, Hayes appeared in 56 games, including 35 starts, at a little over 19 minutes per game. He shook off an early season ankle injury and averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 72.2 percent shooting from the field and 62.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Hayes will enter unrestricted free agency this coming offseason after playing two years with the Lakers, and he hasn’t quite yet thought about what the future might bring.</p><p>“I really haven’t been thinking about that at all. Just been focused on this playoff series and stuff,” Hayes said. “I haven’t even had time to process that yet, so we’ll see.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaxson Hayes breaks silence on playoff benching vs. Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-brutally-honest-trade-off-jaxson-hayes-benching');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JJ-Redick-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-30T23:03:55-07:00">April 30th, 11:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-01T09:01:10-07:00">May 1st, 9:01am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-fans-lose-it-brutal-game-5-elimination-loss-timberwolves">Los Angeles Lakers’ season is officially over</a> after a crushing 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in Game 5 of the first round. Los Angeles was in each of the last four games late into the fourth quarter, but a lack of execution on offense doomed them in three of them and eventually led to their elimination.</p><p>One of the biggest storylines during the series was the Lakers’ decision to go with a small lineup for most of the series, putting starting center Jaxson Hayes on the bench. Hayes didn’t eclipse 10 minutes in each of the first four games and didn’t see any playing time in Game 5.</p><p>After the game, head coach JJ Redick <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1917808903099654559" rel="noopener">talked about the reason</a> that Hayes couldn’t get on the court.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JJ:</p><p>"Play a center. We couldn't score. There's a trade-off to everything" <a href="https://t.co/sVcbOrKxOh">pic.twitter.com/sVcbOrKxOh</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1917808903099654559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“There’s always a trade-off,” Redick said. “We couldn’t score. So there’s a trade-off to everything.”</p><p>In hindsight, the decision to bench Jaxson Hayes backfired on Redick. The Lakers struggled to rebound throughout the series and especially in Game 5, where Wolves center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-career-night-lakers">Rudy Gobert finished with a 27-point, 24-rebound double-double</a> to help send the Lakers home.</p><p>In the end, the Lakers were just too small and too shallow on the bench to compete with a Timberwolves team that has a lot of size and several quality bench players. Los Angeles consistently got tired at the end of games and gassed out down the stretch, causing a lot of missed shots and bad possessions on the offensive end in the closing minutes.</p><p>On the other end, the Timberwolves were quicker to loose balls and made more hustle plays to pull out the wins.</p><p>The Lakers now head into a murky offseason that will be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-lebron-james-ducks-retirement-question-game-5-loss-i-dont-know">clouded by LeBron James retirement talk</a> until he makes a final decision one way or another. However, it’s clear that Redick and the rest of the decision makers for the Purple and Gold have a lot of work to do to round this roster around Luka Doncic and potentially James if they want to see a different result a year from now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ JJ Redick gets brutally honest on ‘trade-off’ that led to Jaxson Hayes benching

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-jaxson-hayes-drops-huge-luka-doncic-declaration-after-suns-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-1_3ad582.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T19:27:22-07:00">March 16th, 7:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-17T12:57:34-07:00">March 17th, 12:57pm</time><address><a>Daniel Locke</a>Daniel Locke covers the New Orleans Pelicans and is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. He will graduate from Auburn University with a degree in Journalism in May. Daniel has covered Auburn Athletics for the entirety of his time as a student, focusing on football, men's basketball, and baseball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns at home on Sunday afternoon, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-austin-reaves-eye-opening-take-on-playing-with-luka-doncic-after-win-vs-suns">snapping their four-game losing streak</a>. Lakers center Jaxson Hayes <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1901441716080824587" rel="noopener">praised star point guard</a> Luka Doncic after the game.</p><p>“Man, that’s the best point guard in the league, so I trust he’s going to find me every time I get open. My job is to get him open as well. It’s like a relationship; you’ve both got to contribute something,” Hayes said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><p>Doncic led all scorers with 33 points, adding 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals while shooting 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Hayes had a solid showing himself, recording 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists while shooting 8-of-10 from the field.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-jj-redick-luka-doncic-orders-with-lebron-james-out">Doncic has been a phenomenal addition</a> for the Lakers, particularly in the absence of LeBron James due to injury. The Lakers return to action on Monday when they host the San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. PT.</p><h2><b>Are the Lakers </b>figuring things out?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-2_34a1e9.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Los Angeles Lakers have had a roller coaster of a season but are trending in the right direction. Lakers head coach JJ Redick thinks the team is on its way to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/03/16/lakers-end-losing-streak-lebron-james/82472446007/" rel="noopener">playing at the level it needs to</a> defensively.</p><p>“I think it starts there,” Redick said via USA Today. “I do believe we need to be whole for that to happen. Just the nature of our roster, it works when everybody’s out there, and I think that’s one thing.”</p><p>Dorian Finney-Smith, one of the Lakers’ best defenders, is confident the team will keep things going in the right direction.</p><p>“So we just got to continue to bring energy,” Redick said. “Luka, AR and, when LeBron get back, they going to have the ball in their hand most of the time. And we just got to be able to give energy, be the energy givers, make up shots and play defense.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.8	4.8	1.0	0.9	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.8	4.8	1.0	0.9	0.6

Jaxson Hayes

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Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes drops huge Luka Doncic declaration after Suns clash

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