Lakers Predicted To Land $35 Million Former No. 1 Pick In Offseason

The Los Angeles Lakers ended up falling at the first hurdle in the 2025 playoffs, losing in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the biggest issues for the Lakers in that series was not having a starting-caliber big man, and they plan to get one this offseason. Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey has listed some realistic targets for the team, and one of them is former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton.

"It would take more of the aforementioned salary to get Deandre Ayton, but it'd likely cost fewer draft picks than some of the names that follow.

"At this point, the No. 1 pick from Luka's draft probably counts as a distressed asset, but it's still too early to give up on him.

"The 26-year-old center has averaged a double-double (16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds) for his career. And he's never played with a creator quite like Luka (post-prime Chris Paul wasn't quite at that level).

"His volume and efficiency as a scorer could both climb as Luka's lob threat. And while he's not known as a great rim protector, he's an upgrade over Hayes on that end. He's also better than a lot of other seven-footers at surviving on the perimeter after switches."

Ayton's salary would be a bit difficult to match. He signed a four-year, $132 million deal with the Phoenix Suns in 2022, and you do question if he's worth it at that price.

Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2024-25. Just as it has been the case for much of his career, he struggled with consistency.

There were times when Ayton looked like one of the better bigs in the league, and then there were others where he was flat-out terrible. It was that inconsistency and concerns regarding his motor that led to the Suns deciding to part ways with the Bahamian in 2023.

Could the Lakers get the best out of the man who was selected two spots ahead of Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft? Well, it's hard to say. Perhaps playing alongside Doncic will lead to Ayton's game being taken to another level.

Doncic has made pretty average big men look servicable on the offensive end in his career, with Jaxson Hayes being a prime example. Ayton is far better on offense than Hayes and could revive his career in a way with the Lakers.

Another positive for the Lakers here would be that while they'd have to give up a lot to match salaries, they won't have to part with significant draft capital. Ayton's stock isn't too high at the moment, thanks to his production and salary, which means they would be in a position to make another significant move after trading for him.

This still doesn't seem like a very likely move, though. The Lakers have never been strongly linked to Ayton, but that could change, of course.

We have also listed out eight other centers the Lakers could acquire this offseason. They'd all be big upgrades on Hayes and would get the team closer to winning a championship.