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Following a busy Wednesday and slow Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to their active ways on Friday.
The 17-time NBA champions ended the Deandre Ayton experiment via an early-July trade to the Washington Wizards. The Lakers received Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks as part of the deal (2031 and 2032).
Interestingly, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn doesn’t think Hardy, who shot 39.7% from three with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards this past season, will stick around for long.
“I imagine they’re gonna immediately turn around and dangle those picks to try to dump Jaden Hardy,” Quinn wrote on X/Twitter.
NBA salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan echoed a similar sentiment, which could eventually lead to another fascinating roster move.
“The Lakers will be able to aggregate Jaden Hardy’s $6 million salary immediately in another trade if they acquire him while under the salary cap,” Gozlan stated. “He would have a two-month aggregation restriction if acquired after doing all their cap space signings.”
Essentially, if the Lakers feel they can use Hardy and his three-year, $18 million contract to help them land a better win-now asset, they’ll have the ability to do so. It’s worth noting that Hardy has been a solid NBA contributor to begin his career, as he’s consistent from behind the arc and is a confident ball handler regardless of the circumstances.
The former second-round pick also has valuable NBA Finals experience, as he was part of the Doncic-led 2023-24 Mavericks squad that reached the NBA Finals as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Still, there’s no denying there's a clear path for the Lakers to move on from Hardy before he ever puts on a Lakers uniform.
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