Subscribe
Follow Us
When the Los Angeles Lakers allowed Dorian Finney-Smith to walk in free agency after he opted out of his contract, they suddenly found themselves with the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception at their disposal. That gave them around $14 million to spend, and it couldn’t have come at a better time as a surprise free agent hit the market. Once Deandre Ayton hit free agency following his buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers seemed like a natural fit, and sure enough he agreed to a contract with the team.
Deandre Ayton’s contract with the Lakers in free agency is for part of the MLE, two years and around $16 million with a player option for 2026-27. The other portion of the MLE is what the Lakers used to agree to terms with Jake LaRavia in the wake of Finney-Smith’s departure. For a team that came into the offseason with not much room available to them by way of free agency, the Lakers did very well for themselves.
The move to acquire LaRavia has already been discussed, and here’s how the Ayton acquisition should shape up.
Lakers agree to terms with Deandre Ayton
While free agent contracts cannot be officially signed until July 6, the Lakers have agreed in principle to sign Deandre Ayton. The free agent market in terms of centers was relatively thin to begin with, and the Lakers’ most likely pathway to getting the starting center they needed always seemed to be via trade.
It is possible they still make a trade to bolster the frontcourt further, but the so far the Lakers have had a fairly successful free agency period. A couple of the team’s early center targets in Brook Lopez and Clint Capela came off the board quickly in the early hours of the negotiation period. The Lakers were never going to be a serious option for Myles Turner.
That left slim pickings on the free agent market, at least until Ayton became available.
Behind Turner, Ayton was arguably the next best free agent center option. Yes, ahead of both Lopez and Capela. His availability was surprising in itself, and a huge score for the Lakers. He is the epitome of what they need in a potential starting center.
The Lakers don’t need Ayton to be a superstar. They don’t need him to be an All-Star. They don’t even need him to be a No. 1-pick caliber player. They simply need someone to run the floor, grab rebounds, be a deterrent at the basket and get a few buckets. Simply put, he’s better than anyone they had at center last season following Anthony Davis’ departure.
Given Ayton’s skillset, one can imagine how he might have impacted the Lakers’ opening round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, especially on the glass. Ayton has been a double-digit rebounder his entire career with an average of 10.5 boards per game.
He is a gifted offensive threat as well. The Lakers got next to nothing offensively out of the center position in the playoffs with JJ Redick forced to go small with LeBron James at center and Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura at forward. Ayton has averaged double-digits in scoring every season of his career and has a shooting average of 59%. He can finish at the basket and he’s consistent from mid-range as well.
He’s the kind of offensive center than can thrive with multiple playmaking threats in James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He also has a ton of motivation following questions about his motor and effort.
For what the Lakers originally had coming into free agency, this is a home-run signing. He will be given all the opportunity in the world to make an impact, and it’s a solid contract too. The second year is a player option and preserves cap space for 2027.
Final grade: A
