On Sunday, the NBA’s annual moratorium on player transactions ended, and teams were able to officially execute trades and sign free agents.
The Los Angeles Lakers got center Deandre Ayton and forward Jake LaRavia to agree to sign with them in recent days, and on Sunday, both of them officially signed their contracts. Los Angeles also re-signed center Jaxson Hayes.
The team officially announced all three signings on its X (formerly known as Twitter) account. General manager Rob Pelinka also issued brief statements on the acquisitions of Ayton and LaRavia, two players who have the ability to raise the team’s ceiling this coming season.
Ayton has career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds a game in seven NBA seasons. While his defense has left a lot to be desired, he should give the Lakers a legitimate rim-running lob threat who can thrive alongside Luka Doncic. He should also help them improve their defensive rebounding, which has been one of their biggest weaknesses over the last couple of seasons.
LaRavia, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward, made 42.3% of his 3-point attempts this past season and has the ability to be disruptive defensively. He plays with a high motor and has the potential to be a glue guy for L.A.
Hayes averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.5 minutes a game this past season. After being the Lakers’ starting center following the Anthony Davis-Doncic trade on Feb. 1, Hayes will now be their backup center behind Ayton.
The team isn’t necessarily done shaping its roster for the 2025-26 season. Reportedly, people around the league expect it to sign De’Anthony Melton, a 3-and-D guard, and it is also reportedly interested in guard Ryan Rollins.
