The eternal search/nightmare for a center is over for the Los Angeles Lakers. Or is it?
After being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers and clearing waivers on Wednesday, the Lakers have agreed to sign Ayton, per Shams Charania.
Ayton will be paid $25.5 million from the Trail Blazers while the Lakers contract is for two years, $16.6 million, starting at $8.1 million for 2025-26. The second year is a player option. In total, Ayton will make $34 million this upcoming season.
Ayton has the size at 7′ and 252 pounds. Ayton has the pedigree, as he was the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Ayton has the production, as he’s averaged at least 14 points and 10 rebounds per game in all seven seasons in the NBA with career averages of 59% from the field and 75% from the line.
But he’s played over 70 games in a season just once and averaged at least 1.0 blocks only three times.
Does he play for the fame or for the love of the game?
Ayton once missed a game because the roads in his neighborhood were too icy.
The Athletic’s Jason Quick wrote:
“But in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort.”
That said, Ayton is still only 27 years old and the Lakers currently have locker room presences in LeBron James and Luka Doncic who won’t tolerate things that distract from the goal of being a contending basketball team.
People can change. A fresh start and playing with veteran leadership may be what Ayton most needed. On the flip side, the phrase, A tiger doesn’t change its stripes, is a cliche for a reason.
Ayton is a skilled offensive player for sure. While he’s not necessarily a back-to-the-basket, pound-it-from-the-block machine, he does have a jump hook package from the block. Where he is most deadly, though, is in the midrange, as he does possess a feathery touch on his jumper. He also has the length and athleticism to be a lob threat and rim-running big at times. Pick and rolls with Doncic and James could be potent.
And as long as the Lakers score and win, there could be lots of sunshine and unicorns.
The Lakers were 11th in offensive rating during the regular season. But that was with Anthony Davis for 42 games. Post All-Star break, the Lakers were 17th in offensive rating, as Jaxson Hayes started 35 games. In the playoffs, the Lakers were 12th out of 16 teams. Ayton is going to help the offense for sure.
The defense, though.
Los Angeles was 17th in defensive rating after the All-Star break. In the playoffs, they were 12th out of 16 teams. It’s well within the range of outcomes that it gets worse.
Finally, I can also envision a scenario in which J. J. Redick gets so flabbergasted with Ayton that Maxi Kleber starts getting more run. How would Ayton react then?
Regardless, the Lakers have filled an obvious hole in the roster with the acquisition of Ayton. And the betting markets have been bullish.
Under the TEAM SPECIALS tab on DraftKings Sportsbook, there are some Ayton parlays for you to ponder:
