Deandre Ayton's future with the Los Angeles Lakers was already under a microscope. Tuesday's airport detention in the Bahamas only intensified it.
Ayton, 27, was briefly detained at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau on suspicion of possessing a "very small amount of marijuana," according to his attorney, Devard Francis. No charges were filed, and Ayton was released after a short investigation. But the timing matters. The Lakers are entering the final 28 games of the season, and Ayton's role is already being debated.
Francis clarified the situation in a statement to Reuters.
"The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn't in Deandre's bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously," Francis said.
Under the NBA's current collective bargaining agreement, marijuana is no longer a banned substance and players are not tested for it. However, marijuana remains illegal in the Bahamas, Ayton's home country. The legal issue appears resolved. The perception battle is not.
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On-Court Questions Haven't Gone Away
Ayton's season in Los Angeles has been uneven to say the least. Through 46 games, he averages 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and one block while shooting 67.5% from the field. On paper, that efficiency jumps off the page. In context, it hasn't silenced critics.
The Lakers signed the former No. 1 overall pick last offseason on a two-year deal, hoping to stabilize a center position that lacked consistency for years. Instead, familiar concerns resurfaced: defensive impact, motor, and engagement in high-leverage moments. All things that have been points of contention dating back to his time with the Arizona Wildcats.
Missed layups. Botched lob finishes. Defensive lapses at the rim. Those flashes fueled the narrative that Ayton has not consistently imposed his size or talent.
After the All-Star break, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz named Ayton the sixth-most overrated player in the NBA, revisiting criticism that has followed him since his time with the Phoenix Suns.
"There's a reason why Portland is paying Ayton nearly $27 million this season to play for someone else," Swartz wrote, referencing the final year of Ayton's four-year, $133 million contract.
That line cuts deeper because it reflects a broader concern: teams have been willing to move on.
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Timing Couldn't Be Worse
Ayton last played Feb. 9 in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and missed two straight games with knee soreness. The team indicated the injury is not serious, but availability became another storyline layered onto performance questions.
Now add an airport detention, even one resolved quickly and the spotlight only grows larger. For a Lakers team fighting to strengthen its playoff positioning, distractions are unwelcome. For Ayton, every possession, every rotation, and every headline carries weight. The legal situation may be a non-issue. The scrutiny is not. And in Los Angeles, scrutiny rarely fades quietly.
Ayton may be a foundational piece for the Lakers future in theory. But in practice, his reclamation project may being more harm than good for a franchise looking towards a bright future built around Luka Doncic.
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