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They might be losing LeBron James, but the Los Angeles Lakers found their center by signing Deandre Ayton in free agency. While head coach JJ Redick is clearly on board with the move, he has been higher on Ayton than many others for a while.
Shortly after the Lakers announced the deal, a clip of Redick complementing Ayton went viral on social media. Redick, who was then with ESPN as an analyst, called Ayton “fantastic” in the pick-and-roll with Chris Paul, despite resistance from his coworkers.
“Ayton is fantastic,” Redick said. “He's fantastic at punishing mismatches. In the two-man pick-and-roll with him and CP [Chris Paul], they're the No. 1 offensive duo among high-volume pick-and-roll players. So he is fantastic… You go back six NBA seasons, that was the best duo. So anybody Chris Paul has played with, that was his best duo — Deandre Ayton.”
"[Deandre] Ayton is fantastic. He's fantastic at punishing mismatches, in the 2-man pick-and-roll with him and [Chris Paul], they're the #1 offensive duo among high volume pick-and-roll players."
Lakers head coach JJ Redick back in 2022 on DA 🗣️pic.twitter.com/i9anl2nR4D
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 3, 2025
Ayton was then with the Phoenix Suns, who drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. After five years in Phoenix, Ayton was a key part of the trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Ayton lasted just two years with the Portland Trail Blazers before being released in June.
Despite flaming out with the Blazers, Ayton immediately became one of the top free-agent centers after his release. He received instant interest from the Lakers, who signed him shortly after.
Deandre Ayton addresses Lakers' longstanding center issues
By signing Ayton, the Lakers addressed their biggest need to add size in the middle. Los Angeles lacked a strong interior presence since trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic at the 2025 deadline. They infamously attempted to solve the issue by acquiring Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in a deal that got nixed by a failed physical.
While Ayton comes with obvious concerns, he has averaged a double-double in each of his seven seasons in the league. Doncic, who entered the league in the same draft class as Ayton, is reportedly excited for his new big man's arrival. Doncic notoriously does his best work when running pick-and-rolls with an athletic big man like Ayton.
Ayton is currently the only center on the Lakers' roster with Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len still on the market. However, Los Angeles is potentially interested in bringing Hayes back as a backup for the 2025-2026 season.
