Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Lakers knew they needed a center after getting bullied in the first round last year. They decided to take a chance on someone still unproven: Deandre Ayton.
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“Los Angeles will have interest in former Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton,” Stein wrote. “The Trail Blazers are reportedly in the process of buying out Ayton. The Arizona product was the first pick of the 2018 draft by the Suns, and helped that franchise rebuild into a contender in the early 2020s. However, his play has slipped since he joined Portland via trade in Sept. 2023; his 2.8 win shares in ’25 were a career low,” Sports Illustrated’s Patrick Andres wrote.
The good news for Ayton is that he showed promise during the preseason.
“There is still a level of caution revolving around Deandre Ayton that is hard to shake. However, in the very early parts of the Ayton experience for the Los Angeles Lakers, it is likewise difficult to shake the present feeling that Rob Pelinka and the front office made the biggest steal of the summer,” Lake Show Life’s Syvatoslav Rovenchuk wrote.
However, on Tuesday night, Ayton didn’t look sharp at all. He appeared disconnected from teammates like Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić. The lack of chemistry—due to limited preseason minutes together—was obvious. It’s a problem the Lakers need to fix quickly.
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“Deandre Ayton admitted he might be a ‘confusing’ pick-and-roll target after Austin Reaves blamed some of his five turnovers for making the ‘wrong pass at the right time’ in the two-man game with the new Lakers center,” Lakers insider Dave McMenamin posted.
The entire reason for signing Ayton was to provide Reaves and Dončić with a reliable lob threat. But without chemistry, that option isn’t there. Until they figure it out, the offense could continue to stall—and that could mean a rough start to the season.
Reaves and Dončić are veterans, and they’ll likely speed up the adjustment process. But for now, this is an issue opposing teams will look to exploit.