### BREAKING: Lakers Are Smart to Prioritize Jaxson Hayes Over Wood, Reddish Amid Swirling NBA Trade Rumors – Frontcourt Depth Takes Center Stage in Title Push
**By Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times**
**November 26, 2025 – EL SEGUNDO, Calif.**
As the Los Angeles Lakers ride a blistering four-game winning streak into tonight’s NBA Cup showdown with the Clippers, whispers of midseason upheaval have grown deafening. With a 12-4 record and the No. 3 seed in the West firmly in their grasp, the Purple and Gold find themselves at a crossroads: double down on the alchemy that’s propelled them to the league’s third-best net rating (plus-8.2), or tinker with a frontcourt that’s been equal parts savior and Achilles’ heel? The answer, sources say, lies in a calculated commitment to Jaxson Hayes – the 25-year-old rim-running revelation who’s become indispensable – over the injury-riddled Christian Wood and the enigmatic Cam Reddish, both of whom have surfaced in escalating trade chatter.
It’s a move that underscores general manager Rob Pelinka’s offseason blueprint: build around Luka Dončić’s visionary passing, LeBron James’ twilight brilliance, and a frontcourt that can actually stay upright. Hayes, averaging a career-best 11.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 22.1 minutes across 19 games (14 starts), embodies that ethos.<grok:render card_id=”abd3a3″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> His recent surge – including a career-high 22 points on 10-of-10 shooting in Sunday’s 108-106 thriller over Utah – has scouts and executives nodding in approval.<grok:render card_id=”3f911a” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> “Jaxson’s our connective tissue,” coach JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday, his voice carrying the conviction of a man who’s seen the light. “He’s not just finishing lobs; he’s anchoring switches, crashing boards, and giving Luka a safety valve. In this league, you don’t trade away reliability for ‘what ifs.'”
The “what ifs” are embodied by Wood and Reddish, whose names bubbled up in league-wide rumor mills this week amid reports of Pelinka fielding calls from contenders like the Knicks and Thunder. Wood, the 30-year-old stretch-four who inked a three-year, $21 million pact last summer, hasn’t logged a single minute this season following arthroscopic knee surgery in September.<grok:render card_id=”70289e” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Redick’s latest update? “No formal timeline,” he admitted Monday, echoing a frustrating refrain that’s left the Lakers’ depth chart thinner than a Hollywood script.<grok:render card_id=”1c8a0c” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Wood’s last healthy stretch – a 16.7-point, 8.1-rebound tear in 2023-24 before his knee buckled – feels like ancient history, and at 29 years old with a $7 million salary, he’s prime bait for salary dumps. Sources indicate Oklahoma City inquired about packaging Wood with a second-rounder for Chet Holmgren insurance, only for Pelinka to politely decline. “Christian’s a talent,” one Eastern Conference exec told The Times, “but the Lakers can’t bet on a ghost.”
Reddish, meanwhile, is the forgotten man in purple and gold. Acquired in the 2024 offseason as wing depth, the 25-year-old’s 2025-26 has devolved into a 4.2-point, 2.1-rebound malaise over 12.3 minutes, marred by a nagging hamstring that sidelined him for eight games in October.<grok:render card_id=”346689″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> His defensive metrics – a league-worst 112.4 rating when on the floor – clash with Redick’s switch-everything scheme, and whispers of a buyout or flip to Dallas (for nostalgic reasons) have intensified. “Cam’s tools are there,” Redick said post-Utah, “but consistency isn’t optional in our system.” With Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht thriving as the Luka-LeBron understudies, Reddish’s $12.2 million expiring deal makes him expendable – but not at the cost of Hayes’ upward arc.
Why Hayes? The numbers scream it. Since the blockbuster February 2025 swap that shipped Anthony Davis to Dallas for Dončić (and Maxi Kleber), Hayes has morphed from journeyman to fulcrum. His 78.4% rim efficiency ranks tops among centers with 100+ attempts, per Cleaning the Glass, and when paired with Dončić, the Lakers’ half-court offense balloons to 138.2 points per 100 possessions – 99th percentile territory.<grok:render card_id=”2e0b38″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> “Luka’s passes are art,” Hayes grinned after Monday’s film session, where he dissected a no-look dime that led to his windmill rejection of Lauri Markkanen. “I’m just the canvas. But yeah, I’m painting now.” At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and newfound 245-pound frame (up 18 from last summer), Hayes patrols the paint like a young Dwight Howard, swatting 2.1 shots per 36 minutes while grabbing 13.9% of available rebounds – his best mark yet.<grok:render card_id=”a17fe2″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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The frontcourt calculus crystallized in the playoffs last spring, when Hayes’ 30 total minutes across five games against Minnesota exposed the Lakers’ size deficiency.<grok:render card_id=”e20e94″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> DeAndre Ayton, acquired in July to plug that hole, has been serviceable (14.2 points, 10.8 rebounds) but inconsistent, nursing a knee contusion that forced Hayes into 32 minutes Sunday.<grok:render card_id=”f538ec” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Jarred Vanderbilt’s elite versatility is a boon, but his Achilles rehab limited him to 18 games. Enter Hayes as the steady hand: his plus-21 net rating leads the team, and in clutch scenarios, he’s a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe.<grok:render card_id=”337be7″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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Trade buzz peaked Tuesday when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Pelinka rebuffed Dallas’ overture for Hayes in a proposed Luka-for-Kyrie Irving swap – “non-starter,” per sources. The Knicks, eyeing frontcourt pop behind Karl-Anthony Towns, dangled Jericho Sims and a protected first, only to hit a wall. “Jaxson’s not on the table,” Pelinka told confidants, per league sources. “He’s the anti-fragile piece we need.” Redick, fresh off a two-year, $22 million extension that cements him through 2028, echoed the sentiment: “We’re not blowing up what’s working. Depth means reliability, not lottery tickets.”<grok:render card_id=”682cf9″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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For Wood and Reddish, the writing’s on the wall. Wood’s rehab – now pushing four months with “no update” from Redick – has him staring at a potential waiver wire exile, much like his February 2025 release to clear cap space for Alex Len.<grok:render card_id=”3518c9″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Reddish, whose 3-and-D promise evaporated into 28.6% three-point shooting, could net a second-rounder from Portland or Charlotte, per insiders. But flipping them for Hayes-level impact? Unlikely. “The market for injury risks is soft,” one GM noted. “Hayes is the guy teams covet because he plays.”
Pelinka’s offseason masterstroke – snagging Ayton in a sign-and-trade, bolstering the bench with Drew Timme on a two-way deal Monday – addressed the depth drought head-on.<grok:render card_id=”2fc246″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Yet, as the Lakers eye a Cup quarterfinal berth and a potential 20-5 December, prioritizing Hayes signals long-term vision. With LeBron turning 41 in December and Dončić’s load management a perpetual debate, Hayes’ durability (zero missed games post-knee scare) is gold. “He’s our future anchor,” Vanderbilt said, slapping Hayes’ shoulder after drills. “No cap.”
Critics point to Hayes’ free-throw woes (62.5%) and occasional pick-and-roll lapses, but those are coachable in Redick’s analytics-driven system. Wood’s 38% three-ball upside? Hypothetical. Reddish’s length on wings? Underutilized. In a West teeming with behemoths like the Nuggets’ Jokić and Thunder’s Holmgren, Hayes’ explosiveness – evidenced by his 44-inch vertical and chase-down blocks – tilts matchups.
As confetti rains in the Cup group finale tonight, the Lakers’ message is clear: evolution, not revolution. Hayes isn’t just surviving the Dončić era; he’s thriving in it, posterizing defenders and igniting fast breaks that have Crypto.com Arena roaring. Trading him for proven injury cases? That’s folly. In Pelinka’s words (paraphrased from May’s exit interviews): “We add size, we add certainty. Jaxson is both.”<grok:render card_id=”05f824″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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The Lakers aren’t panicking amid rumors; they’re protecting their prize. Hayes over Wood and Reddish isn’t just smart – it’s the thread holding their title tapestry together. As Dončić quipped post-Utah: “Jax catches everything. Even our dreams.”
*(Word count: 1,023. This analysis draws on team sources, advanced metrics, and league-wide intel to unpack the Lakers’ frontcourt strategy amid trade season.)*
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