The Los Angeles Lakers have suffered another injury to one of their thinnest positions against the Phoenix Suns during their NBA Cup game. Jaxson Hayes went down late into the game and had to be helped off the court, as the center rotation was already short due to the multiple injuries.

“The Lakers say that Jaxson Hayes reaggravated the same ankle issue that kept him out of the lineup for two weeks.” according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin on X, formerly Twitter. “His status will be updated tomorrow afternoon ahead of the second night of the back-to-back in San Antonio.”

With the Lakers dealing with multiple injuries at the same position, it may lead them to consider a trade, which is something that has been talked about since the beginning of the season.

Will the Lakers make a trade soon?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) fives Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) after scoring against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Crypto.com Arena.
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As of now, the only players on the team who are truly capable of playing minutes at center are Anthony Davis and Christian Koloko. Christian Wood and Jared Vanderbilt are still out recovering from injuries, and they haven't made their season debut yet. With questions surrounding Jaxson Hayes and how long he'll be out, it's time for the Lakers to make a move, and there are a few options that come to mind.

The Lakers have considered players such as Robert Williams III, Myles Turner, Walker Kessler, and Nikola Vucevic, but some of these players' value are too high, while others may already have an injury history that the Lakers don't want to get into. One player that has stayed on the Lakers' radar since free agency was Jonas Valanciunas, according to Lakers insider Anthony Irvin.

“Sources say the Lakers are also interested in Jonas Valanciunas and have been dating back to July, but he can't be moved until December 15, as he signed with the Washington Wizards just this summer,” Irvin wrote. “If Hayes hasn't healed by then or Wood's recovery continues to drag along, the chances of Valanciunas winding up a Laker increase by quite a bit — which is saying something because most around the league consider it very likely he'll be traded to L.A. as it is.”

The other option the Lakers have is to sign someone on a 10-day from the G-League or someone who hasn't been signed yet, but they may be looking for better options at the position. With the Lakers currently on a three-game losing streak, it would be imperative for them to find some help as soon as possible so they don't continue to trend downward as the season progresses.