After agreeing to a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers, Deandre Ayton made the decision to sign a two-year, $16.6 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers with whom he will presumably become their next starting center.
The 26-year-old Ayton has had a strong seven-year career in the NBA, averaging 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and a block across 398 career regular season games. Still, he has fallen short of the lofty expectations that come with being the first overall pick of a historic 2018 NBA Draft.
The Phoenix Suns notoriously drafted Ayton ahead of future NBA All-Stars such as Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He did show flashes of his potential, including during the Phoenix’s run to the NBA Finals back in 2021, but his production dipped after he was traded to the Blazers in 2023 as part of the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade.
Now, Ayton will join forces with his draft classmate Doncic along with four-time NBA Most Valuable LeBron James on the Lakers, giving him a strong chance of rekindling his dwindling stardom. Ayton himself shared that Los Angeles provided him with “the best basketball fit” and he also explicitly expressed his desire to team up with Doncic.
Los Angeles direly needed a center following the midseason blockbuster trade that shipped out Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Doncic. Ayton, at least on paper, fills that void. Despite standing at 7’0, he is nimble and possesses a soft touch around the rim. He thrived playing alongside elite playmakers such as Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio during his time at Phoenix and the Lakers are hoping to replicate this with Doncic and James.
More importantly for the Lakers, Ayton has all of the tools to become a top tier interior defender and there is even a small sample size from the Suns’ aforementioned NBA Finals run to prove it.
Work ethic and focus have been the common knocks on Ayton, but sharing the floor with Doncic and James while playing under head coach JJ Redick should give him the structure that he needs to succeed.
Both sides desperately need one another–Ayton must capitalize on this opportunity to keep his career afloat while Los Angeles needs to prove to the upcoming free agent Doncic that they can build a winning team around him–which makes this an interesting situation to watch over the next season.
Ayton could very well spell the difference between another first round exit by the Lakers and a deep playoff run. If he can lock in, he becomes the Lakers’ ultimate swing piece—elevating them back into contention for the NBA title.
