Lakers to re-sign D’Angelo Russell, land center Jaxson Hayes

The Lakers have agreed to re-sign guard D’Angelo Russell to a two-year, $36-million deal to stay with the team, people with knowledge of the deal told The Times. Russell will have a player option in the second year.

The agreement comes as the Lakers near the end of a frantic start to free agency, with the team still waiting on Austin Reaves, who is eligible for more than the $52-million, four-year maximum contract the Lakers offered from another team in restricted free agency. The San Antonio Spurs, according to those people not authorized to speak publicly, are weighing a Reaves offer.

The Lakers acquired Russell at the NBA trade deadline in a deal that included Russell Westbrook, a trade that helped turn the team’s season around before it ended in the Western Conference finals.

Russell averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game after the trade, shooting 41.4% from three. He had strong moments in the Lakers’ wins in the postseason against Memphis and Golden State before struggling against the Nuggets. The Lakers moved him to the bench in Game 4.

He’ll come back to a backcourt that now includes Miami guard Gabe Vincent and that’s expected to also have Reaves once the Lakers match any offer he gets — which they’ve signaled they would.

The team also agreed to a deal with New Orleans center Jaxson Hayes, pushing them close to the end of their free agency less than 24 hours after it began Friday.

Hayes is the backup center the Lakers sought to play behind Anthony Davis.

At 6 feel 11, Hayes is viewed by the Lakers as a physical player they believe can play a similar role to that of 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, when he played in only 47 games because of injury, starting two.

Hayes was sentenced last year to 450 hours of community service, 52 weeks of domestic-violence classes and three years of probation after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges that resulted from an incident with his girlfriend in Woodland Hills in July 2021.

Hayes was a first-round draft pick out of Texas in 2019, selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He was acquired by New Orleans soon after the draft in a multiple-player deal.

The Lakers have agreed to re-sign guard D’Angelo Russell to a two-year, $36-million deal to stay with the team, people with knowledge of the deal told The Times. Russell will have a player option in the second year.

The agreement comes as the Lakers near the end of a frantic start to free agency, with the team still waiting on Austin Reaves, who is eligible for more than the $52-million, four-year maximum contract the Lakers offered from another team in restricted free agency. The San Antonio Spurs, according to those people not authorized to speak publicly, are weighing a Reaves offer.

The Lakers acquired Russell at the NBA trade deadline in a deal that included Russell Westbrook, a trade that helped turn the team’s season around before it ended in the Western Conference finals.

Russell averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game after the trade, shooting 41.4% from three. He had strong moments in the Lakers’ wins in the postseason against Memphis and Golden State before struggling against the Nuggets. The Lakers moved him to the bench in Game 4.

He’ll come back to a backcourt that now includes Miami guard Gabe Vincent and that’s expected to also have Reaves once the Lakers match any offer he gets — which they’ve signaled they would.

The team also agreed to a deal with New Orleans center Jaxson Hayes, pushing them close to the end of their free agency less than 24 hours after it began Friday.

Hayes is the backup center the Lakers sought to play behind Anthony Davis.

At 6 feel 11, Hayes is viewed by the Lakers as a physical player they believe can play a similar role to that of 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, when he played in only 47 games because of injury, starting two.

Center Jaxson Hayes, elevating for a dunk over Mavericks center JaVale McGee, spent four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans before entering free agency.

(Richard W. Rodriguez / Associated Press)

Hayes was sentenced last year to 450 hours of community service, 52 weeks of domestic-violence classes and three years of probation after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges that resulted from an incident with his girlfriend in Woodland Hills in July 2021.

Hayes was a first-round draft pick out of Texas in 2019, selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He was acquired by New Orleans soon after the draft in a multiple-player deal.