Insider Reveals if Lakers Can Replace Jaxson Hayes With 3-Time All-Star Center

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to tinker with the roster this offseason, regardless of what happens in the playoffs. Jaxson Hayes clearly isn’t a guy who should play big minutes in a playoff game, but the team’s lack of center depth is forcing them to put him in the starting lineup.

If the Lakers are going to do anything this offseason, it’s add another center or two. The team could go for a smaller name who won’t cost much, but that likely wouldn’t lead to a big upgrade.

The Lakers showed during the season that they’re open to trading for a center, as they did with Mark Williams before a failed physical blew up that deal.

One player who could be a name to watch is Bam Adebayo. It’s clear that the Miami Heat need to shake things up after getting swept in the first round of the playoffs. Adebayo could be considered their best trade chip.

The Lakers make sense for him if he’s moved, but The Athletic’s Jovan Buha doesn’t think a deal makes sense.

“Lakers don’t have cap space. They’re not projected to have that cap space, and projected to have potentially the non-taxpayer MLE,” Buha said. “But then they are hard capped with the 1st apron, or they can have the taxpayer MLE, and then they can go up to the 2nd apron.

“There are some ways to work out the cap stuff to get a little bit of space, but not much, and even then it could potentially come down to LeBron James taking a massive pay cut, which I have been on the record saying I’m skeptical of,” Buha added.

Adebayo Expects Big Changes

This was a chaotic season for the Heat. Jimmy Butler forced a trade, which set the tone for the year.

Even with limited talent, the Heat still managed to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed. That didn’t lead to much.

Miami has been putting off a rebuild for some time, but they may not have a choice. It doesn’t sound like Adebayo is going to want to be there going forward.

“There’s going to be a lot of changes this summer,” Adebayo said. “Just from my point of view … be prepared for that.”

The three-time All-Star big man is already talking like he’s played his last game in Miami.

“You got to enjoy those small moments,” Adebayo said. “Because you never know when you get those back.”

Lakers Need a Miracle

The Lakers are down 3-1 in their opening series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A loss in the first round would be a disaster for a team that many thought were title contenders.

There have only been a handful of teams to come back down 3-1. The Lakers certainly have the players to make it happen. Luka Doncic is supposed to be the best player in the series, and LeBron James is still one of the top playoff performers in the league.

However, the young Timberwolves may just have their number. It would certainly be a disappointing end to what once looked like a magical season.