Unfortunately for Davis, his time with the Dallas Mavericks didn’t last long and was filled with injuries not only to him, but also to superstar teammate Kyrie Irving. Additionally, his presence in Dallas also cast a shadow over the franchise in the eyes of fans who were still angry about the Doncic trade and the front office eventually chose to move on from Davis, trading him to the Washington Wizards at this year’s trade deadline.

His addition alongside Trae Young, whom Washington also acquired via trade this year makes the Wizards one of the more interesting Eastern Conference squads for next season as both stars will likely sit out the rest of this season. But LeBron James is very interested to see how Davis and Young meld with the young players in Washington next season, via the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash:

“Very interesting. I’m very intrigued and I’m very interested to see what happens and how this all comes about obviously next year, it’s kind ok towards next year… Yeah, I think AD’s out, that’s what the talks of and I think it’s already been said maybe that Trae is not gonna play this year as well. But I’m interested to see what they do and how it all comes together. With AD obviously we know the talent level is out of this world. And Trae with his ability to play pick-and-roll game, his ability to shoot the ball, his lob threat. I love the young kid from France that they have on their team too, [Alex] Sarr. We just played them two weeks ago great touch, great feel for the game. Love the kid [Kyshawn] George as well, young kid pretty good player. And then also the rookie kid they got from Texas, Tre Johnson. They have some pieces and I think for the first time in a few years we can say that Washington has grabbed some pieces. So it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens and how they come together with a training camp, maybe with a offseason maybe guys get together we’ll see what happens with that. See how motivated Trae and AD is to prove Dallas and L.A. and Atlanta, we know what we’re capable of. But you know every year is different. You gotta look into the future, but those are two All-Stars.”

The combination of established veteran All-Stars and very promising young talent is certainly one to keep an eye on. Both Davis and Young have made deep postseason runs and players like Sarr, George, Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington all bring something different to the table and could be enhanced playing next to Young and Davis.

Whether Davis can get back to that peak form that he showed early in his time with the Lakers remains to be seen, but LeBron and many others will be keeping a close eye on how he looks with the Wizards next season.

Lakers’ LeBron James discusses what being named All-Star for a 22nd time means to him

LeBron James is coming off his record 22nd NBA All-Star appearance and he spoke about what being named to the team meant for him, calling it humbling and a blessing.

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Hayes recently received a one-game suspension after he shoved the Washington Wizards mascot during the Lakers’ road trip. He later apologized to the Wizards mascot and explained he was upset after getting his foot stepped on during warm ups.

Hayes wasn’t needed in the next game as the Lakers managed to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, but the team can ill afford to have players miss games when they’re right in the thick of the Western Conference standings.

While it was good to see Hayes take accountability for his actions, it did cause an unnecessary distraction for him and the team. Now, the situation seems to be evolving further as Washington’s mascot has hired a lawyer for potential legal action against Hayes, via TMZ:

Nearly two weeks after Lakers forward Jaxson Hayes shoved Washington Wizards mascot G-Wiz during pregame introductions … TMZ Sports has learned that the person behind the mask has lawyered up — and has selected the attorney that represented Sofia Jamora in her domestic violence lawsuit against Hayes.

Waukeen McCoy told us that he is now representing the person Hayes decked when the Lakers were in town for a showdown with Washington on January 30.

“We will give them the opportunity to resolve the matter before taking legal action,” McCoy said. “But legal action is anticipated.”

He also said other parties could be involved.

When asked about any injuries the person sustained … McCoy said, “All I want to say at the moment is that he was injured.”

The Wizards mascot hiring a lawyer does not mean Hayes has been charged with anything, though the TMZ report seems to indicate that their side is anticipating some legal action. More details are sure to come in the following weeks, so for now Hayes and the Lakers will need to wait and see what next steps look like.

While this situation could have easily been avoided, the big man seems to at least learned a lesson after he admitted he could have handled things better.

JJ Redick wants Jaxson Hayes to use suspension as learning opportunity

Head coach JJ Redick has always stood behind his players and he had Jaxson Hayes’ back following the suspension. Redick acknowledged Hayes took ownership of his actions and said he hoped the Lakers center could use the incident as a learning opportunity.

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The incident occurred during pregame introductions of the Lakers’ 142-111 win over the Wizards at Capital One Arena on Jan. 30.

Hayes will serve his one-game suspension when the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.

Here is video of the incident that occurred to lead to the suspension:

Here is video of Jaxson Hayes shoving the Wizards mascot, which led to a one-game suspension.

(via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/IMyBbic9Cj

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 4, 2026

According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the mascot was not injured during the incident:

Sources tell me, actually, that G-Wiz, the Wizards mascot, was not injured after the incident with Hayes that led to the suspension.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 4, 2026

While it’s good to see that the mascot was not injured and it’s unclear what led to the push, that type of behavior is not something the league is going to tolerate and now Hayes will be out for one game.

The suspension comes at an unfortunate time as the Lakers just got back to full strength with Austin Reaves returning in Tuesday night’s win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Lakers have been dealing with guys in and out of the lineup all season, and the hope was for everyone to be available for an extended stretch to finally build some continuity.

Additionally, the NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, so depending on what moves the Lakers make, they could already be playing against the 76ers with a shorthanded roster, and now Hayes will be unavailable as well.

With Hayes out, the Lakers will likely turn to either Maxi Kleber or Drew Timme for backup center minutes, and they have also had some recent success going small with LeBron James, Rui Hachimura or Jarred Vanderbilt at center.

Luckily, it is only a one-game suspension for Hayes, who will be eligible to return for Saturday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

Jaxson Hayes to participate in NBA Slam Dunk Contest

It was recently announced that Hayes will be one of the four participants in this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

Hayes has thrown down a lot of crazy dunks throughout his career, most recently one he put through his legs late in the Lakers’ win over the Chicago Bulls.

Centers haven’t always fared well in the Dunk Contest, but Hayes could be the perfect mix of size and athleticism to pull off something unique to win the event.

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Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been forced to close games with Jaxson Hayes as of late because of Ayton’s performance, though he’s finally started to show signs of life again. Following the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ayton made it a point to prove that he’s deserving of his starting spot with a dominant performance in the Lakers’ win against the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards are an undersized group, so Ayton was able to use his size and physicality to score easily at the rim. He wound up with a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

After the win, LeBron James said he and Los Angeles are responsible for keeping Ayton involved and praised him for his performance against the Wizards, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“It’s our job to feed him. Feed the beast. Tonight, he was very active, he was 12-for-14, converted everything in the paint pretty much. He started off with good energy, was dunking a lot too, that’s great for us, and rebounding. When he’s rebounding, it gives us an opportunity to get out and play fast. He’s been key for our wins, for sure.”

James made it a point to look for Ayton every time down the floor, passing it in early transition or finding him rolling to the rim for lobs. Ayton has been the best pick-and-roll partner for the Lakers’ stars and he rewarded both Luka Doncic and James with great finishes at the rim against Washington.

When Ayton is engaged on both ends of the floor, Los Angeles’ offense can operate at its best while the defense can hold up just enough. The Lakers could still use more size and physicality behind him and Jaxson Hayes, but for now the big man seems to be rounding the corner.

The purple and gold need Ayton at his best on both ends of the floor to win games against better competition, so the game on Sunday against the New York Knicks will be a good test.

JJ Redick emphasizes Lakers must continue to keep Deandre Ayton involved

JJ Redick seems to have the Lakers offense running efficiently as of late, and some of that is due to Ayton’s resurgence. Redick acknowledged the team needs to keep Ayton involved offensively if they want to be successful on that end of the floor.

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Because of how elite Doncic is at both scoring and playmaking, some teams have no choice but to send extra defensive attention his way. However, he is smart enough to keep the basketball moving so opponents have to pick their poison when it comes guarding the Lakers star.

When Doncic gets into a rhythm early, it often means good things are coming the Lakers’ way and that was exactly the case in the team’s win against the Wizards. Doncic dictated terms offensively, picking apart whatever coverage Washington threw at him.

Doncic managed to record a triple-double in the first half, the first in Lakers history in the play-by-play era and he attributed it to simply reading the Wizards defense, as seen in an interview with Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet:

“Just playing basketball. Just playing my game. Whatever the defense gives me. Just trying to get back into the rhythm.”

When it comes to decision making on the floor, Doncic compared it to chess as he was reacting to whatever they presented him:

“Like I said, it’s a little bit like chess to me, just trying to read the defense. Sometimes they’re in a blitz to start the game then they switch to fire, so it’s just trying to read the defense, share the ball. I think we did a great job today.”

Doncic makes it look easy to diagnose defensive coverages in real time, but it’s much harder than it looks because of how fast the game can move. Luka has an uncanny ability to get past a defender and into the painted area, at which point the defense is basically at his mercy.

Doncic’s size, basketball IQ and creativity give him the perfect tools to execute any sort of shot or pass he wants. There isn’t much teams can do other than trying to force the basketball out of his hands and Los Angeles knows that they’ll need to do their part to keep defenses honest.

In the win over the Wizards, he led the way with 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and three steals in just 31 minutes of action. Doncic had 26 points and the triple-double secured before the halftime break.

The Lakers star is currently in the MVP mix and if he continues to play this efficiently offensively then he could very well claim his first award.

Big men across NBA want to play with Luka Doncic

Doncic is at his best when he’s got a rim running center next to him as he can throw lobs with ease. Because of the easy shots Doncic generates, big men across the NBA reportedly want to play next to him.

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