Lakers Beat 5 Contenders in Landing Prized Free Agent: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers beat several contenders in signing Deandre Ayton to become their next starting center.

According to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto, five teams, including one of the Lakers’ fierce conference rivals, eyed Ayton after he reached a buyout agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers to surprisingly join the free agent market this offseason.

“Deandre Ayton received exploratory interest from the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Milwaukee Bucks (before agreeing to a deal with Myles Turner) before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote.

Ayton chose the Lakers because of the opportunity to start and the basketball fit with Luka Doncic. They belong to the same draft class in 2018, with Ayton going No. 1 while Doncic getting selected at No. 3. They also share the same agent in Bill Duffy, the head of the basketball division of WME Sports.

“Ayton ultimately decided the Lakers were the best basketball fit and allowed him the opportunity to join forces with Luka Doncic, who’s the same age and considered the best playmaker in the NBA in Ayton’s eyes,” Scotto wrote. “Following success playing with guards such as Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio in Phoenix, Ayton hopes to recreate that playmaking chemistry with Doncic.”

The Lakers were looking for a lob threat for Doncic. Ayton was the best lob threat available in the free agent market. And to get Ayton at a fraction of his $34 million salary is a big win for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers, who are still $3.3 million below the first apron.

Dan Woike and David Aldridge of The Athletic reported in the aftermath of the Lakers finally getting their starting center that Doncic, according to league sources, is excited about the opportunity to play with Ayton.”

Deandre Ayton’s Baggage

Getty Center Deandre Ayton, formerly of the Portland Trail Blazers, reacts during a game.

While the Lakers got Ayton for cheap, he comes with baggage.

According to The Athletic’s Jason Quick, Ayton’s time in Portland was marred by maturity issues, which also tainted his reputation in Phoenix.

“See, the Blazers could live with Ayton missing shots or his man scoring on him,” Quick wrote. “They could even live with him being limited by injuries to 55 and 40 games in his two seasons in Portland.

“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.”

Consistent Positive Feedback

But according to Scotto, teams who did their due diligence on Ayton did not get that feedback from Portland.

“Lastly, as teams reached out to Trail Blazers officials on background, the feedback was consistently positive regarding Ayton, who was a community staple in Portland and hosted many team bonding events during the season,” Scotto wrote.

Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 56.6% last season in Portland. Despite his reported flaws, Ayton is a huge upgrade over Jaxson Hayes, who agreed to return to back up the former No. 1 pick.