The Los Angeles Lakers will give Deandre Ayton his chance to play in a winning environment for the first time since 2023. He wanted out of Phoenix (subscription required) and was traded to Portland in the deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Bucks. The Blazers won just 57 games in two years and missed the postseason twice. It was a massive change for Ayton.
The seven-footer helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021 and anchored their defense to three straight playoff appearances. Phoenix won at least one round every year, but Ayton was unhappy with Monty Williams and further marginalized after the head coach's departure by the Suns acquiring Kevin Durant. He wanted more touches, not less, and a breakup became inevitable.
The former number one overall pick had well-documented issues (subscription required) in Portland, but the Blazers were a lottery team. Shams Charania reported Ayton wanted a buyout to get to a contending situation. His wish was certainly granted by playing next to Luka Doncic and LeBron James in Los Angeles.
Lakers put Deandre Ayton back in the winning situation he wanted
The Lakers finished third in the Western Conference last season and have two of the ten best players in the world. Luka Doncic has made first-team All-NBA five times, and LeBron was still second-team All-NBA last season. King James is over 40, but remains elite. Those two alone make LA a contender.
There are questions about this move, but Ayton has every reason to be locked in. He is playing for another massive payday and has a chance to get back to the playoffs.
The seven-footer won’t be a focal point of the Lakers' offense, but he should average 16 points and ten rebounds per game just working as Luka’s pick-and-roll partner and cleaning up misses. Ayton is a massive upgrade over Jaxson Hayes and could surprise Lakers fans.
Head coach JJ Redick will have to determine how much he wants to go small, and Ayton’s impact will play a key factor. If the big man locks into the scheme, he will play 30-plus minutes every night and have other teams wishing they bought low.
Ayton did not have a ton of motivation in Portland where he still averaged 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game. Lakers fans are salivating thinking about what he can do playing off Doncic. There will be eight to ten free points every game from wide-open dunks. That alone could help lift his defensive intensity.
The Los Angeles Lakers granted Deandre Ayton’s wish to get back to playing for a contender. They could quickly vault into a serious title threat if Ayton and Marcus Smart shine in their new environments. Both will get every chance as they fill massive holes for the Lakers. Maybe all Ayton needed was playoff basketball to get him to lock in and become the dominant big man scouts projected. Lakers fans will soon find out.