Lakers' DeAndre Ayton backup plan would be an outright disaster

While Ayton would be a decent fit, it's far from a slam dunk that the Lakers actually get him, given how many other teams still need frontcourt help. And if L.A. misses out again, Al Horford is looking like their backup plan, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic ($). No disrespect to Horford, but that signing would be a disaster.

Horford might not be an All-Star anymore, but he's still a very productive player. He's played a key role in each of the last four seasons with the Boston Celtics, so it'd make sense that the Lakers would show interest in signing him.

His fit on the current variation of the Lakers feels less than ideal, though, especially when compared to Ayton.

Lakers should not be considering Al Horford

While Horford can space the floor and brings a ton of valuable experience, how is he the ideal fit alongside Luka Doncic at the center position? Doncic has thrived alongside rim-running centers who can screen hard, catch lobs and defend the rim. Horford might do the first one well, but the other two are severely lacking.

Horford would surely get tons of open looks on the perimeter playing alongside Doncic and LeBron James, but again, what else can he offer?

In addition to the fit not being what the Lakers should want, Horford is 39 years old and will likely be signing a one-year deal. Shouldn't the Lakers want to acquire a younger option who can better fit Doncic's timeline?

What makes this even worse, though, is we've seen how Horford has done after leaving Boston in free agency once before, and it wasn't pretty. Horford left Boston for the Philadelphia 76ers on a monstrous contract entering the 2019-20 campaign and, to put it lightly, struggled. It was so bad to the point where the 76ers had to trade assets to the Oklahoma City Thunder just to offload his contract. Eventually, Horford found his way back to Beantown and thrived.

While history might not repeat itself this time around, do the Lakers really want to take the risk that it very well might? Again, they're better off staying away.

Lakers find themselves in brutal spot

At this point, it feels like it's Ayton or bust for the Lakers. Ayton is obviously a massive bust relative to the standards of being a No. 1 overall pick, but he's still a serviceable center who, at the very least, can rebound and finish around the rim while still being only 26 years old. Perhaps a move to the win-now Lakers can help him buy in more defensively.

He's far from perfect, but the Lakers can't do much better at this point. If he signs elsewhere, they'll really be in trouble. Horford is not an ideal fit, and there isn't much else on the open market for them.

It'll be interesting to see just how desperate Rob Pelinka is. This center decision could dictate how good this team actually is this upcoming season.