The Los Angeles Lakers have completed a deal sending center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard Jaden Hardy and the Wizards’ second-round draft choices in 2031 and 2032, the franchise confirmed.
Ayton, 27, started all 72 games for Los Angeles last season, averaging 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 67.1% from the field. He was expected to back up recently acquired center Walker Kessler, but will instead reunite in Washington with former Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
Hardy, 24, enters his fifth NBA season after stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Wizards. In 23 games for Washington late last year, he posted 12.6 points in 20.4 minutes per contest, connecting on 42% of his six three-point attempts per game. For his career, the 6-foot-4 guard owns averages of 8.4 points on 42.5% shooting, including 38.6% from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles gains approximately $2 million in salary-cap flexibility with the move and replenishes draft capital depleted in the earlier trade for Kessler. Hardy joins a revamped backcourt that now features offseason additions Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton alongside stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The Lakers also signed forward-center Sandro Mamukelashvili and re-signed Reaves as part of an aggressive summer aimed at building around Doncic as he enters his prime.
The Wizards add interior depth with Ayton as they continue reshaping their roster around Davis, acquired earlier in the offseason.
Source: Lakers Nation
