Jaden Hardy is undoubtedly one of the Los Angeles Lakers who will be feeling the roster squeeze all throughout training camp. The Lakers have 16 players right now, and at least one of them will not make it to opening night. Hardy is on that shortlist of chopping block candidates.
Hardy has two years left on his current deal, worth $12 million over that time. That includes a team option for 2027-28. That makes him an incredibly tradeable contract for the Lakers, if need be. What would invite Rob Pelinka to send someone else packing? Seeing notable improvement on defense.
One-way production is all you have gotten from Hardy in his NBA career thus far. The offensive end looks promising. The defensive side of the court shows him regularly bleeding points to the opposing teams. The Lakers guard is ready to change that about himself.
"This summer, I've done a tremendous amount of work ... on my game, specifically, on the defensive end. That is something that I really prioritized this summer."
Staying on the Lakers roster means playing defense for Jaden Hardy
This one is certainly going to be chalked up as one of those things you will have to see to truly believe. Hardy will need to prove himself capable on the defensive end throughout Lakers training camp to back up his words.
Hardy left a lot to be desired on that side of the court last season. The former Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards guard has been a tough inclusion for any rotation due to his limitations on defense. It is a real shame, too, when you look at who he was on the offensive end in 2025-26.
42.0 percent on 6.0 attempts per game is what Hardy delivered from beyond the arc during his 23-game run with the Wizards last season. Overall, the scoring guard shot 39.7 percent from deep on 4.6 takes during the 2025-26 campaign.
That is the type of 3-point production you would love to have beside either (or both) of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. It just will not matter if Hardy is giving up just as many, if not more, buckets on the other end. The Lakers need production on both ends.
Granted, the battle for Hardy to prove he deserves a spot in Los Angeles could come down to just being better than one other guy. Someone like Dalton Knecht, another prime candidate to be traded or waived, does not particularly thrive on defense either.
If Hardy is serious about his growth on defense, he will just need to prove himself more reliable than his closest competition. In doing so, the 24-year-old can give himself a chance to stick around with the Lakers.
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