The Lakers are running right up against their roster limit, and Jaden Hardy has found himself in the middle of the squeeze.
Los Angeles currently has 16 standard contracts, which leaves the team one over the permitted maximum with the regular season set to begin next week. Dalton Knecht has drawn plenty of attention as a possible roster-bubble name, but Hardy is another player whose spot may not be settled yet.
Hardy landed with the Lakers over the offseason in a trade with the Washington Wizards. In that deal, Los Angeles moved Deandre Ayton to Washington and got Hardy plus two second-round picks back. The move was understood to serve two purposes for the Lakers: clear Ayton’s contract and bring in some draft capital.
Hardy, though, was hardly the centerpiece of the transaction. During camp, the Lakers have reportedly been trying to move his contract, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Still, Hardy isn’t acting like someone rattled by the numbers game. He said he knew from the moment he arrived that the situation could get complicated.
“Really just for me, I just kind of came here with a clear head, clear mind being a new situation, new opportunity,” Hardy said following Lakers’ shootaround on Tuesday. “It’s a blessing to be here. I’ve been coming in here every day working and putting my head down.”
On the court, Hardy has given the Lakers a little of everything in the preseason. In his first official outing with the team - a win over the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5 - he scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-5 from deep. He followed that with a 13-point performance on the second night of a back-to-back, adding four rebounds and three assists despite going 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
In the next preseason game, another win over Sacramento, the former G League Ignite guard finished with six points but got to the free-throw line six times. Most recently, in a loss to the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, he posted 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
That kind of production has mattered for a Lakers roster that lacks proven ball-handling depth and players who can consistently create offense. Hardy knows that’s part of his appeal, and he’s trying to fit that need without disappearing into the system.
“For me, obviously just trying to be somebody that they can have another ball-handler. Obviously still learning the system, but I’m very confident in what’s going on with the guys whenever I’m out there,” Hardy said.
“Trying to make plays, whatever, but also being aggressive. Just trying to play my game as well.”
Hardy, the No. 37 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is now in his fifth season. Before last season’s deadline deal that sent him to the Wizards, he spent his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks. His brief stint in Washington was productive: in 23 games off the bench after the trade, he played a little over 20 minutes per game - the most he has logged in his career - and averaged 12.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range and 68.6 percent at the line.
With the Lakers’ roster deadline approaching, nerves are part of the backdrop. Hardy said he’s trying not to let that take over.
“It’s in God’s hands, really,” Hardy said. “I’m blessed to be here.”
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