Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton is reportedly finalizing a contract buyout, thus marking the end of his time in Portland. On the verge of becoming a free agent, Ayton is expected to demand a lot of attention from teams around the league.
Ayton is an extremely capable center. Having been to the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns in 2021, the 26-year-old makes for a young veteran big with necessary playoff experience. Unfortunately, owing to system issues, he hasn't been able to live up to his potential.
After averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds last season, Ayton will garner interest from several teams looking to contend for the NBA championship. With this in mind, we explore four ideal landing spots for the big man.
Los Angeles Lakers
One of the primary teams that will look to make a move to sign Deandre Ayton in the offseason will be the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Purple and Gold have been one of the most actively mentioned teams in trade rumors, particularly with regard to big men. In aligning with their offseason plan of reinforcing their frontcourt depth, the Lakers have set out to add relevant talent to their big man rotation to bolster their roster. This search has seen them linked to several players in the trade market as well as free agency, with Ayton being among the favorites.
At seven feet tall, the 26-year-old big man is the ideal fit for the Lakers' system. His strong frame allows him to establish his presence under the rim by fighting for rebounds and contesting shots. Although his defensive output isn't necessarily noteworthy, he does an honest job.
Ayton's offensive potential is far more exciting. His midrange game and sophisticated bag of moves in the post make him a reliable scoring option, capable of creating his own shot. Additionally, his mobility and relative athleticism make him an effective lob threat coming off the pick-and-roll.
The notion of pairing Ayton with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is also quite exciting. While their own experience of being contemporaries from the same draft and having the same agent (Bill Duffy), the Purple and Gold emerge as the most likely landing spot for the center after he clears waivers.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors, much like the Lakers, have been very aggressive in their approach towards shopping for bigs. With an intent towards pivoting from the "small ball" approach, the Warriors have indicated their desire to sign a quality big man, and with Deandre Ayton available, the Dubs could have their preferred choice.
When looking at Golden State's glory days, they were at their most successful when they had a center who was a dominant inside presence. Although the current trend in the league has seen a shift towards sweet-shooting centers who can stretch the floor, the Warriors' needs have always been different.
Ayton's ability to establish himself in the paint with his reliable finishing and midrange bag creates the ideal situation for the Warriors' perimeter shooting to function.
The intricate interplay of inside and outside scoring forces is what made Golden State so dangerous. When also factoring in a legitimate seven-footer aiding the rebounding effort, the Warriors also address one of their biggest shortcomings from last season.
While there were some indications that the Warriors had made inquiries about Ayton, these were quashed by Brett Siegel. Regardless, the Dubs would benefit from adding a big man of his caliber this offseason.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs may appear to be a questionable destination right off the bat, primarily because they have a star big man in Victor Wembanyama. However, there is a factor that will need to be addressed, something that would make Deandre Ayton an extremely appealing target.
The Spurs boast one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA. Featuring the likes of De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in the backcourt, the Spurs have also added more talent through the draft, selecting Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the second overall pick.
There are expectations of Harper entering the starting lineup to form a three-guard rotation, thus creating a high-volume offensive system. Unfortunately, this also implies that the team sacrifices on size.
With Wembanyama's "modern big man" style of play that keeps him away from the basket for a large part of the game, San Antonio's rebounding effort would take a massive hit with such a lineup. To address this, the Spurs could look to pick up Ayton in free agency.
With two big men anchoring the frontcourt, the inside-outside play of Ayton and Wembanyma could effectively create many more scoring opportunities for the team.
New York Knicks
In a similar situation to the Spurs, the New York Knicks could also have a lot of use for a big man like Deandre Ayton.
Although New York has a solid set of big men, from Karl-Anthony Towns to Mitchell Robinson, the organization's internal strife may lead to some major personnel changes.
With players like Towns and Robinson being involved in trade rumors, the Knicks will need a backup big man. And if not a backup, a starting big man to pair with their star, Jalen Brunson.
The likelihood of the Knicks trading Robinson is greater, primarily due to the center's unavailability due to injury and limited offensive production. Although Ayton isn't as good a defender as Robinson, it is abundantly clear that his offensive output is significantly greater.
The pairing of Ayton and Towns in the frontcourt works similarly to the pairing of Ayton and Wembanyama. With one dominating under the basket and the other drawing attention from the perimeter, the Knicks' offense would gain another layer of complexity, becoming more potent with each iteration.
The Demand for Deandre Ayton Is Immense
Deandre Ayton's link to the Lakers is strong, especially considering his connection to Doncic through a common agent. While this move would undoubtedly be considered the most plausible one, should the big man choose to test the waters of free agency, he is bound to find many takers.
Teams in the East, such as the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets, who are in dire need of a new starting center, would look to make a bid for him. Considering that the West is already overflowing with talent, Ayton may do well by choosing to go East and capitalizing on the opportunity to make a deep playoff run with a competitive team.
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