Luka Doncic will have a former teammate in Jaden Hardy join him on the Los Angeles Lakers next season. Hardy is one of several additions the Lakers have made so far this offseason in a bid to overhaul and strengthen the roster.
The new season will tell the full story of this Lakers offseason, but the grade can still be viewed as satisfactory. The franchise didn’t chase another blockbuster move after landing Walker Kessler and opted for players who would be happy in their smaller roles. Hardy, as it turns out, is one of them.
According to Lakers Nation Matthew Valento, the reunion is nicer than a measly feel-good footnote.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are currently focused on building a championship-level roster around Luka Doncic in order to get back into contention,” Valento wrote. “One way to do that is to bring in players he has a history with and they did exactly that with both Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy.”
Hardy joined L.A. in a trade from the Washington Wizards after the Lakers shipped out Deandre Ayton. The young guard has already played with Doncic, and it sounds like he can’t wait to get back on the court with his guy.
Lakers’ New Excited to Play With Luka Doncic
Hardy was a teammate of Doncic during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. He was drafted in 2022 and stayed in Dallas until last season before he was traded before the deadline. He enjoyed 2 ½ solid seasons playing with the Slovenian superstar.
Hardy relishes the moments he had on the floor with Doncic even though he was mostly a bench player. As such, the opportunity to play with him again this time in Los Angeles is most welcome.
“So, I reached out to him and told him how excited I was to be back with him, playing alongside him and how I couldn’t wait to get back into the gym with him and put some work in,” Hardy said. “He got back, told me welcome, how excited he was and for sure we’re going to put some good work in.”
This is exactly what Lakers fans want to hear. Hardy is bringing a sense of good energy. He has always held Doncic in high regard ever since he entered the league.
After Hardy scored his first NBA points as a rookie in a Dallas win over New York, Doncic grabbed the game ball and handed it to him in the locker room. Such a gesture coming from one of the best players in the league goes a long way for a young player.
How Hardy Can Contribute
Hardy wasn’t necessarily brought in to claim an outright starting spot on the Lakers roster. (He hasn’t started more than 10 games in a season so far in his career.) But he is a reliable role player and an efficient shooter even in limited minutes on the floor.
Doncic remains the focal point and everything will be tethered to him, but players like Hardy often have an impact because of Doncic’s elite table-setting
“Me and Luka, and we got (Quentin) Grimes too on the other one. When we were in Dallas, I feel like we had a great group and I feel like just being back with them, playing in front of the best fans in the world is going to be super exciting, and I can’t wait to do it.”
Hardy was part of the Dallas roster that made it to the NBA Finals in 2024. Doncic was running the show then, and the Lakers are hoping for a similar turn of events … only with a much better outcome.
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