.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
A big man has been the main Achilles' heel of the Los Angeles Lakers for a bit of time now. Ever since they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, there has been a revolving door of centers that have not quite stuck with the franchise nor made sense schematically. Now, it seems like the front office has settled and they are banking on Deandre Ayton to carry their front court for the future.
Ayton stays with Lakers with $8.1 million decision
Deandre Ayton has officially opted into his $8.1 million player option, per Shams Charania of ESPN. This means that the Lakers will have him playing alongside Luka Doncic for one more season as he no longer enters NBA free agency. Ayton also helps the Lakers be a bit more financially flexible for not demanding a larger deal immediately. This gets them closer to re-signing LeBron James and maybe even landing Anthony Davis for a reunion run.
Ayton played 72 games for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season. While there were obvious struggles on the court, he was a constant presence that Doncic and James could rely on. He averaged 12.5 points on a fairly efficient 67.1% field goal percentage along with grabbing eight rebounds per game.
The main concern surfaces when his postseason performance is looked at. Ayton's numbers went all the way down to 10 points on a 54.8% clip from the field but his rebounds did go up to 9.7 a game. All of these numbers are far from what is expected from someone who has already been to the NBA Finals and a former first overall pick in 2018. However, Ayton still has time to develop as he is just entering his prime at 27 years old.
There is hope for the Lakers front court if he takes a massive leap in production to prove himself worthy of a bigger contract extension. Ayton also contributes a lot to lessening the front office's immediate woes due to the financial flexibility that he gives.
English (US)