Inside The Spurs

NBA Free Agency: Pelicans' Jaxson Hayes to Spurs?

New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes is a free agent this summer. Could the San Antonio Spurs sign him?
NBA Free Agency: Pelicans' Jaxson Hayes to Spurs?
NBA Free Agency: Pelicans' Jaxson Hayes to Spurs?

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The San Antonio Spurs have a lot of cap space to work with this summer as they build a team around Victor Wembanyama.

The team may not spend all of it to try and contend this year, but the Spurs should look at what's in front of them and attempt to make like for Wembanyama a little bit easier.

A player that could do that is New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes, who is a restricted free agent this summer.

"Hayes is the rare big who is best served playing like a 4 on defense and 5 on offense," Bleacher Report writes.

While Hayes struggled this past season, averaging a career-low five points per game, the former No. 8 overall pick could be the perfect big man to pair with Wembanyama. As a 7-4 center, Wembanyama would best be served to protect the rim, but as a playmaker, he would play more on the perimeter on offense. Hayes would allow Wembanyama to play his best position on both ends of the floor.

Given his restricted free agent status, the Pelicans would have the opportunity to match any offer given to him in free agency, but New Orleans has reason to let Hayes walk.

"Carving out more minutes for Hayes is tough," Bleacher Report writes. "Jonas Valančiūnas and Larry Nance Jr. are in front of him at the 5, and New Orleans doesn't have the motivation to favor dual-big combinations when Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, Naji Marshall and Trey Murphy III all soak up reps at the 4."

If the Spurs can pull it off, signing Hayes would be a low-risk move that could warrant big rewards if it works out.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.