As they say, one man's loss is another man's gain. The Milwaukee Bucks need athleticism and youth in their frontcourt. The Lakers just made one available in Jaxson Hayes. Everyone's happy.
According to ClutchPoints’ Lakers insider Anthony F. Irwin, big man Hayes is unlikely to return to Los Angeles after frustrations over his shrinking postseason role and the financial hit that came with it. And perhaps as a result, the Lakers are aggressively pursuing other potential lob threats to pair with Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
It’s not hard to see why: Hayes fell out of favor under head coach JJ Redick, and L.A. is reportedly already eyeing potential replacements. Hayes wants a bigger role. The Bucks could offer one.
“In terms of returning talent, sources say there is an outside chance of Jaxson Hayes returning, but he wasn't thrilled about his role disappearing in the postseason and the money he lost as his minutes dwindled," Irwin wrote in a report.
"From the Lakers perspective, they're weighing Redick losing faith in him, how he might handle them bringing in his replacement or the inevitable demotion he'd be in line for this summer.”
The Bucks may have just lucked into a perfect frontcourt fix
Milwaukee quietly needs a backup center who brings bounce, rim protection, and vertical spacing — especially if Jericho Sims doesn’t stick around.
Hayes fits that mold, and he’s just 25. He’s also 7-feet tall with a 7-foot-4 wingspan that stretches for days, has the bounce to play above the rim, and can keep up in transition. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but that’s more a product of limited minutes than talent. He’s a classic change-of-pace big: someone who can plug into bench units, switch on defense in spurts, and finish lobs.
The Bucks haven’t had that kind of bouncy, All-World athlete besides Giannis Antetokounmpo in years. They’ve tried Portis. They tried Sims. That worked, but only for half a season. And when the Milwaukee Bucks finally saw what someone like Sims could do, it was already too late for them.
According to matchup data on NBA.com/stats, opposing scorers converted on just 44.4 percent of their shot attempts whenever Hayes is the closest defender, including 92-of-236 (39 percent) for opposing guards.
Per Cleaning the Glass, opposing teams' offensive ratings went down by -4.1 fewer points per 100 possessions while their effective field goal percentage went down -2.0 whole percentage points whenever Hayes was on the floor, putting him in the 83rd and 81st percentiles in those statistics among big men.
Hayes wouldn’t fix Milwaukee’s deeper issues, and he's definitely not going to be as mobile and switchable as Sims was for them. But for a team short on flexibility and in desperate need of low-risk upside plays, this is the kind of scrap-heap find that could quietly pay off. And at the very least, it stops them from having to go back to the Brook Lopez-Bobby Portis frontcourt pairing for another year.
Ultimately, this move would be a calculated gamble for the Milwaukee Bucks. While Hayes offers the kind of athleticism and defensive upside that would replace Jericho Sims, his consistency and ability to handle increased minutes will be under scrutiny. But for a cash-strapped team aiming to contend, taking a chance on a young, athletic big man with something to prove might be a decision that pays dividends.
He’s not a star, and to be frank about it, might not even be a rotation lock. But if the Lakers are done with him, the Milwaukee Bucks should be ready to make the call and offer him a sure rotation spot on a team with one of the best players in the league.