Another New Orleans Pelicans lottery pick center is headed west to join the L.A. Lakers, but the circumstances couldn't be more different.
Jaxson Hayes, the No. 8 pick in the 2019 draft, has agreed to a free agent deal with the Lakers, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Specifics of the deal have not yet been released, though the second year of the deal has been reported to be a player option.
The move for Hayes marks a fascinating bookend to a career that landed in New Orleans because of the Lakers in the first place. The Pelicans picked Zion Williamson No. 1 overall that season, but also owned the No. 4 pick from the trade that sent former star Anthony Davis out of town. The Pelicans parlayed that pick into the Nos. 8 and 17 selections. The first of those picks was used on Hayes, a project center out of Texas, while the 17 brought in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a combo guard out of Virginia Tech.
Alexander-Walker was sent out of town in a deal that brought CJ McCollum and Larry Nance to the Pelicans. He played the 2022-'23 season as a member of the Utah Jazz, and signed a new 2-year deal with the Timberwolves earlier this week.
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Hayes flashed potential throughout his 4-year run in New Orleans, particularly when it came to transition athleticism and highlight-reel dunks, but the consistency was never there, particularly on the defensive end. Hayes appeared in a career low 47 games last season, with just two starts as he was buried in a rotation behind Jonas Valanciunas, Willy Hernangomez and Larry Nance. He averaged a career low 5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, but the most concerning deep came from 2-point range, where he flashed impressive ability in Years 2 and 3, but flagged to just 10.3% (3 of 29) in the 2022-'23 season.
The 23-year-old will form an interesting pairing with Davis in the Lakers' frontcourt, a team that struggled mightily to start the year, but gelled at the right time and made a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the eventual champion Nuggets. New Orleans will have a keen eye on L.A. performance this season, as they have the option to take the Lakers' first-round pick in 2024 or push it to 2025, another piece in the Davis deal.
The Pelicans have yet to make any splash signings in free agency, thought they did ink defensive star Herb Jones to a new 4-year deal. Short-term rental Josh Richardson has also signed a 2-year deal with the Miami Heat.
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