The Lakers continue to fill their roster in the free agent market, agreeing to a two-year deal with center Jaxson Hayes, according to a person not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Hayes is the backup center the Lakers were looking for to play behind Anthony Davis.
At 6 and 11, the Lakers view Hayes as a physical player who they believe can play a similar role to Dwight Howard in 2020, when the Lakers won their 17th NBA title.
Hayes, 23, spent his first four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game last season, while playing just 47 games because of injury, starting two.
Hayes was sentenced last year to 450 hours of community service, 52 weeks of domestic violence education and three years of probation after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident with his girlfriend in Woodland Hills in July 2021.
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Hayes was a 2019 first-round draft pick from Texas, selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He was acquired by New Orleans shortly after the draft on a multi-player deal.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.