The Los Angeles Lakers have shored up their interior by adding 2018 top pick Deandre Ayton after his buyout from Portland.
Deandre Ayton is blazing a new trail with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the top pick of the 2018 NBA Draft is set to sign a two-year deal with the purple-and-gold after the Portland Trail Blazers bought out his contract. Ayton was working on a four-year, $132 million deal originally bestowed by the Phoenix Suns, who made him the opening selection seven years ago.
Though Blazers insider Jason Quick of The Athletic reported that Portland had character issues surrounding Ayton (who came to the Pacific Northwest in the multi-pronged deal that sent former franchise face Damian Lillard to Milwaukee), the soon-to-be-27-year-old has the statistical prowess to serve in a potential championship run. The Arizona alum was one of the primary faces of the Suns’ 2021 Western Conference championship run, its first since 1993.
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Ayton was one of 12 players on last season’s association circuit to average at least 14 points and 10 rebounds per game, a list that also included former Laker, Anthony Davis. Injuries limited Ayton to 40 games last season. Still, he has averaged double figures in both categories in each of his first seven seasons, becoming the first to do so since Dwight Howard (h/t Charania).
In Los Angeles, Ayton could play a significant role in whatever the future holds for the Lakers’ LeBron James era. James, who picked up his $52.6 million purple-and-gold player option, while his representative Rich Paul hinted at keeping his options open.
The 40-year-old previously touched upon on the Lakers’ interior depth—or lack thereof—during Los Angeles’ playoff cameo, noting that Davis had sought interior help before he was shockingly traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the infamous deal that sent Luka Doncic to SoCal. The Lakers were drastically outrebounded in their lone postseason showing, a five-game opening round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I never say that because my guy AD said what he needed, and then he was gone the following week,” James said, per Andy Nesbitt of Sports Illustrated. “I’ve got no comment. I put that uniform on every night and gave everything I had and that’s all that matters.“
Coming to Los Angeles will pair Ayton with Doncic, his fellow 2018 draft classmate, who was selected by Dallas two picks after the Suns made Ayton the top choice.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
