If someone had to make a reasonable estimate about who Luka Doncic's favorite Los Angeles Lakers teammate is at this current time, most bets would be placed on Austin Reaves. The bromance between the two has been on display all year, and Doncic is already lobbying for his return.
Dan Woike and Sam Amick reported that Luka wanted Reaves kept out of any Giannis Antetokounmpo or star trade packages. It is clear that Doncic's word will carry a lot of weight behind the scenes for the Lakers during the summer, based on all the reporting around that subject.
That is why Jaxson Hayes' future in Los Angeles should be safely locked up. How could he let go of his Slovenian brother after all?
For anyone that needs a refresher, after Hayes was naturalized and received his passport, him and Doncic are now teammates on the national squad for Luka's home country. The impact of that is already making itself apparent. Dave McMenamin expressed the Lakers center is high on the priority list ahead of the summer during an appearance on ESPN LA.
McMenamin said: "I think the next name [after Reaves and LeBron James], just because you're going to need this position, is Jaxson Hayes. Jaxson has now been here for a few seasons. And Jaxson is a member of the Slovenian national team. ... I would think he's a shoo-in to return."
Jaxson Hayes' connection to Luka Doncic makes his Lakers return a given
McMenamin also noted his belief that Hayes had been relatively underpaid for his impact over the last couple of years. The ESPN reporter cited Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder as an excellent example of what the Lakers backup can do when at his best.
Even when considering that, McMenamin thought the Lakers would be careful in assessing how much money is left in free agency when making their decisions. The soon-to-be free agent should be heading back to Los Angeles, it just may not be one of the more immediate moves.
For the Lakers, it does make a ton of sense. The connection to Doncic aside, Hayes has enjoyed some solid growth from the point of Rob Pelinka taking a flier on him as a talent who did not pan out with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Some will argue that Hayes would be better served as a third string center for the Lakers, in an ideal version of offseason events. There may be some truth to that.
However, going all-in on, let's say, Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams III — both top center options in free agency whom fans have excessively linked to LA — would immediately dampen the Lakers' spending ability elsewhere. That comes before mentioning the injury risk with both of them.
Hayes as the backup big man could be the norm for the Lakers moving forward. At the very least, Doncic would not be complaining about the matter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google