The third signing, the Lakers keep Hayes! The 15-man roster is released, James is caught in a trading storm

The third signing in the offseason market, the Lakers renewed the contract for center Hayes! The 15-man roster was released, but the operation of the Purple Gold Legion is far from over, and the core James is also caught in a trading storm.

1-year contract renewal Hayes

According to ESPN famous reporter Shams, the Lakers signed a one-year contract renewal with inside Hayes, who returned to the Purple and Gold Army.

As the 25-26 season will be Hayes' third season for the Lakers, according to NBA rules, Hayes will get a trade veto in the new season to ensure he gets bird rights after the end of the 25-26 season. In the 24-25 season, Hayes played the role of the Lakers starting center, playing in a total of 56 games, of which 35 were the starters. Especially after Brother Davis was traded, Hayes supported the role of the Lakers starting center.

averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.9 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 72.2% and a career high. It is one of the surprises that helped the Lakers survive the most difficult stage after the trade deadline.

However, after entering the playoffs, Hays lacked experience on the defensive end, and his shortcomings in the unstable end of the offensive end were exposed. His playing time dropped to 7.5 minutes per game, and his data also dropped to 1.8 points and 2 rebounds. He was basically completely DNP in the last three games.

Since Redick would rather play "Death Five" all over the game than use Hayes, after the offseason arrived, the outside world generally expected Hayes to go to other teams, but in the end the two sides chose to continue to cooperate.

Although the result is a bit surprising, it is a good choice for both Hayes and the Lakers.

Hayes obviously failed to get a higher offer after testing the free market, so he chose to return to the Lakers. Staying with the Lakers Hayes will get familiar teammates and coaches and stable tactical roles.

The Lakers also failed to introduce a better alternative target in the free market, so they stayed with Hayes as a third center candidate. Considering Ayton's poor franchise protection ability, it was very wise for the Lakers to keep Hayes, who ranked tenth in efficiency in the 24-25 season with at least 250 layups and dunks.

15-man roster is released

Including the previous two years, signing Laravia with 12 million in two years, and signing Ayton with 16.6 million in two years, after the Lakers completed three signings, the official roster of 15-man contracts is as follows:

Point guards: Doncic, Vincent, Brownie;

Point guards: Reeves, Kneckett, Goodwin, Milton (3 million are not guaranteed, decided whether to convert to protection on July 20);

Small forwards: Hachimura, Laravia, Thiero;

Power forwards: James, Vanderbilt;

Centers: Ayton, Hays, Kleber.

adjustment is far from over

In the fiercely competitive West, the Lakers' lineup is obviously not enough, so the Purple and Gold Army is still actively adjusting the lineup.

According to Evan SIdery, many teams are interested in free agents Lakers, Pistons, 76ers, Trail Blazers and Warriors Boucher, including

, each team hopes to sign the 2.06-meter power forward with a veteran's basic salary. Boucher can still average 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 24-25 season, and his three-point shooting percentage is 36.3%.

Compared to introducing free agents, the Lakers are more likely to make efforts in the trading market, and may even involve the core James.

ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst publicly stated on the show that the prelude to James' departure from the Lakers has been opened, whether it is retirement or other methods.

"I have communicated with people involved, and they have no clear intentions, but the ambiguous attitude of sources from all sides makes me think that the James deal is not impossible," Brian Windhorst added.

Previously, many famous reporters including Shams also exposed James' embarrassing situation. He hoped to live a meaningful life in the last few years and compete for the championship as much as possible.

But the Lakers attach more importance to the future core Doncic, hoping to make room for him to introduce another superstar helper in 27 years.

Then James's agent continued to put public pressure on him, and James also wore a hat with the "Welcome Home" printed on him during the golf game.