Overview

• Jaxson Hayes waived his implicit no-trade clause, making him available for potential trades during the 2025-26 season.
• The 120 percent raise to $3.4 million leverages his Bird rights and highlights Los Angeles’s focus on interior depth.
• His return completes the Lakers’ frontcourt rotation behind newly signed starter Deandre Ayton.
• After deploying their non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the Lakers now sit just under the NBA’s first salary-cap apron, curtailing full use of their $5.1 million bi-annual exception.
• Lakers management must shed salary to regain full exception flexibility, underscoring ongoing roster maneuvering.