5 Lakers whose futures are up in the air this offseason

Jaxson Hayes

Another of the Lakers' 2023 offseason signings, Jaxson Hayes just completed the first season of his two-year deal with LA. In 70 games and five starts, he put up a career-low average of 4.3 points along with 3.0 rebounds in just 12.5 minutes per night.

With the Lakers going all-in on trying to win a title this past season, there was little space in the rotation for a younger, more unproven player like Hayes. Of course, there were plenty of questions about Darvin Ham's rotations and how he chose to utilize certain players, so some of Jaxson's lack of playing time could in theory be attributed to that.

Hayes will have a $2.4 million player option for next season. Should he choose to exercise it, he can return in hopes of earning more playing time and proving himself worthy of a new contract. Perhaps his decision could hinge on who ends up being hired as the Lakers' new coach.

But based on his performance this past season, it does not seem like a guarantee that other teams around the league will be doing all they can to get Jaxson on their roster either. Hayes may be best suited opting into his player option and betting on himself to put up better numbers.