Deandre Ayton’s NBA journey now lands in Los Angeles, where an opportunity unlike any he’s had before awaits. This is the moment he has been waiting for. A chance to transform the Lakers with Luka and LeBron:https://t.co/gRDAD9J3E9— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) July 6, 2025
Excellent video recapping Ayton’s career up to now.
It’s good that Luka and Ayton are friends. And share the same agent. But more importantly Brooks coached him for three years and was a big advocate of him coming to the Lakers. There is real upside here. We saw his floor in Portland and it was still better than we could have asked for. It could be special if he reaches his ceiling.
I’ll defer to Mr Big Shot Chauncey Billups. When you pay a dude $25mill to go away….in means something. When someone shows you who they are….believe them.
He gave up 10 mil in a contract year. He figured he could it back and he got most of it. He could have gotten all of it if he had chosen the Pacers. The Pacers still have 4 centers for some reason. They need to free up the money. He is in a new situation now. He’s betting on himself. No risk, high reward for him and the Lakers.