Typically, when NBA players weigh their options in free agency and decide which team to sign with, they follow the money.
It’s hard to argue against doing so: Young players want to ensure financial stability for life, not to mention generational wealth, especially since most NBA players are very family and community oriented.
But 23-year-old big man Jaxson Hayes, who made nearly $7 million this past season with the New Orleans Pelicans, decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year deal that’s expected to pay him only the veteran’s minimum salary. That would mean he will make just over $2 million this coming season.
Hayes said on Thursday that fit and the opportunity to win tilted him in the Lakers’ direction.
“Personally for my career and just to help me win, and help whatever team I go join win, I thought that the Lakers would be the best fit for me.” Jaxson Hayes expresses the importance of winning as his reason for choosing the #LakeShow. pic.twitter.com/HrPYmKerFq
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) July 7, 2023
Hayes may not end up being a big factor in Los Angeles’ success during the 2023-24 season. But the 6-foot-11 man can run the floor like a gazelle and leap as if he has springs in his legs.
That type of athleticism, not to mention his motor, could make him a nice fit for a Lakers team that loves to attack in transition and play fast, free and physical ball.
