Utah Jazz Agree to 2-Year Contract With Jaxson Hayes: What It Means

The Utah Jazz have made their first move to address their hole at center following their Walker Kessler sign-and-trade from earlier on Wednesday.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Jazz have agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with former Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes. The contract includes a team option in the second year.

Source: The Jazz are signing former Lakers center Jaxson Hayes to a two-year, $12 million deal. The second season is a team option.
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) July 1, 2026

It’s the first external free agent signing the Jazz have made this offseason, and their second signing made this offseason entirely, following their previous agreement on a two-year contract worth $22 million for Jusuf Nurkić.

Let's break down what the move means for Utah:

Hayes Adds Layer of Center Depth That the Jazz Needed

The Jazz made a significant move to rattle their frontcourt rotation earlier in the day to ship out Kessler in exchange for multiple unprotected first round picks and pick swaps. That left a void at center that Utah needed to address via free agency, or with a trade to add a big man already under contract.

They decided to go with option A, getting Hayes on a team-friendly, flexible contract that at least makes him a short-term plug as a depth option at the five.

Hayes will likely fill in as a backup center in the Jazz’s frontcourt, at this point, behind Nurkic or Jaren Jackson Jr., depending on how Utah wanted to structure their starting five.

Hayes is a rim-rolling big man who has solid size and length. He was the 8th-overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, who spent four years with the New Orleans Pelicans from 2019 to 2023, and has been with the Lakers for the past three seasons.

Mar 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) reacts after a dunk in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, he played 66 games to average 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game in around 18 minutes a night. He also started nine games for Los Angeles this past season, and has 49 starts through his three-year Laker tenure.

As a rim protector and a rebounder, he’s no Kessler. It'll be tough for Utah to find that type of big man to fill his role in the middle, especially with the talent that's up for grabs on the free agent market. But the Jazz desperately needed to attack their center position in some way after pivoting off of their young defensive anchor; ironically in a trade with Hayes' former team.

This signing tends to do that on a short-term deal and allows Utah flexibility to terminate his contract after one season if things don't go as planned. If the move works out, then they've got a cheap option to roll with for another season.

In terms of the finances, the Jazz had money to spend on the free agent market because of their $15 million mid-level exception. Inevitably, they decide to use some of that to bring in Hayes.

Considering the Jazz still project to have around $9 million in MLE money, don’t expect them to be done with free agent moves just yet.

This move allows Utah to still have two traditional roster spots free to use however they decide. Another signing at center might also be a move that can't be completely ruled out to fill in next to Nurkic and now Hayes.

However, adding Hayes to the roster does address a bit of their lack of center depth with a seven-year veteran with some playoff experience, and allows them to use the rest of their free money to potentially add some perimeter defense that they could use in a significant way.

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