Much to the chagrin of the fanbase, the Los Angeles Lakers failed to make significant upgrades to the roster this offseason. The biggest need of the team heading into summer was bolstering the center rotation.
They filled this need by signing Deandre Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million contract. While that is a clear upgrade compared to what the Lakers had last season, the Ayton-Jaxson Hayes rotation at center leaves plenty to be desired.
Plus, Ayton isn't exactly off to a great start in LA. The polarizing big man gave his first interview as a Laker to ESPN LA's Scott Kaplan and Jorge Sedano. There, he subtly threw his new teammate LeBron James under the bus, revealing that the 40-year-old superstar has yet to welcome him to the team.
Deandre Ayton says LeBron hasn’t sent him a welcome text since he joined the Lakers
“Hasn’t happened yet. I did get one from Luka.”
(via @Fullcourtpass, @Sedano, @ScottKaplan) pic.twitter.com/9VnONJGMA6— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 10, 2025
Deandre Ayton Already Getting Cold Shoulder from LeBron James
When asked, Ayton said that James hasn't even texted him since joining the team, while fellow star Luka Doncic did. While it's standard procedure for team leaders to welcome new arrivals, whether this means anything about how LeBron feels about the Lakers or Ayton specifically is unclear.
What is clear, however, is that it's hard to imagine LeBron taking this lightly. Calling out James in this public manner will presumably not sit right with the legend. Ayton could've covered for his new teammate and no one would've known; instead, this already creates a bit of drama to begin his L.A. tenure.
If Ayton performs well and fills a need for the Lakers, this will be forgotten relatively quickly. However, this is not the way you want your new addition to kick things off with your franchise player, especially one that has as much pull around the league as LeBron James.
Yet, if James sours on Ayton, things could go south in Los Angeles in no time. It's not like the Lakers have the luxury to bench Ayton and go a different direction at center. Both sides need each other, and everyone has to hope that this slip-up by Ayton is just a blip in the Lakers' journey to relevance and championship contention.
