What the Signing of This 26-Year-Old Center Means for the Lakers
The Lakers have just signed the big man they desperately needed. DeAndre Ayton has signed with the Lakers on a two-year $16 million deal. The deal includes a player option in the second year, allowing Ayton to opt out of the contract. This fills in the void of a big the Lakers were looking for. Ever since Anthony Davis was traded to the Mavericks, the Lakers have relied on Jaxson Hayes and others. Hayes has fit in nicely and developed his chemistry with Luka Doncic. He still isn’t the all-star-caliber center the Lakers needed to reach the next level.
The first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft now joins a team where he can benefit from playmaking from both Luka and LeBron James. The move is also a low-risk, high-reward proposition due to the nature of the contract. He was arguably the second-best player on a Phoenix Suns team that went to the NBA Finals in 2021. It also doesn’t allow the Lakers to trade some of their players for new ones, or sign remaining free agents to at least mid-level exceptions.
Ayton is a lob threat. If we know anything about Luka and sometimes LeBron, they live to feed the big man down low. Also, rebounding would free up some pressure from the two other all-stars from having to go down low. Defensively, the Lakers also got the rim protection they needed. This is a significant opportunity for Ayton to prove himself once again and showcase his abilities to the Lakers and the world, as he helped Devin Booker and Chris Paul make it to their first NBA Finals appearance.
If Ayton can at least provide the Lakers with key rebounding and 16 points per game. It should complement the other two all-stars nicely to say we have a big three. The downside is that this needs to work immediately. This is officially the summer that the Lakers build around Luka, not LeBron.
This may be it unless Lebron finishes his career in Cleveland. This might be the last chance to win a championship. We should know rather quickly with other complementary pieces. If the Lakers are title contenders. For now, this is a signing that gives them a chance to compete for a title.
