Former Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton was introduced as a new member of the Los Angeles Lakers this week.
During the press conference, Ayton said he learned a lot during his two seasons in Portland but was looking forward to winning with the Lakers.
The Blazers and the 7-foot-2 Ayton agreed to a buyout of the final year of his contract worth $35.5 million. The Blazers will pay $25.5 million of Ayton’s contract after he agreed to give up $10 million to become a free agent.
“The Portland Trail Blazers, they had a different route,” Ayton told reporters. “Me, I wanted to be in a winning situation.”
The Blazers went 57-107 in two seasons with Ayton, acquired in a 2023 trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers went 47-35 last season after reaching the Western Conference finals the season before.
The Lakers’ addition of Luka Doncic, acquired late last season, has elevated hopes for the franchise, which was in search of a center before signing Ayton.
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While Ayton failed to elevate the Blazers, he has shown in the past that he can be a complementary piece to a championship contender. He started for the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns, who lost in The Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks. Ayton averaged 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds during that playoff run.
In two seasons with the Blazers, Ayton averaged 15.7 points with 10.7 rebounds, but wasn’t surrounded by star-caliber players on par with Chris Paul and Devin Booker in Phoenix.
Now, Ayton seeks to slide into a similar role with the Lakers, led by Doncic and LeBron James. To do so, he must overcome the criticism of his inconsistent play with both the Suns and the Blazers.
“It fuels me up completely,” Ayton told reporters. “And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform that I cannot run from.”
He certainly can’t run from the expectations that come with playing for a storied franchise such as the Lakers, the home of some of the greatest centers in NBA history, including George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
Ayton isn’t in their class, but he doesn’t need to be to make an impact. What he must avoid are the occasional defensive lapses, attitude issues and displays of indifference. Those actions won’t play well with Lakers fans, who demand winning, or with a franchise seeking to build around Doncic
“They want to win a championship right now, and I want to win right now as well and just be part of a winning legacy and be around winners,” Ayton told reporters. “It was something difficult to think about. It just brings me back to playing with the Suns and being a part of a winning organization. Once you win, everything is easy, really. And that’s what I wanted to be a part of.”
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
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