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The nightmare is finally over.
The Los Angeles Lakers are moving on from their inconsistent $16 million center, Deandre Ayton via a trade to the Washington Wizards.
“Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two Wizards second-round picks in 2031 and 2032,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Shortly after Charania broke the news, he named an ex-Warriors three-time NBA champion center as a potential replacement for Ayton.
“The Lakers will now focus on finding Walker Kessler's backup on the market -- with centers such as Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas, and Kevon Looney among those being considered. The Wizards took a patient approach to the start of free agency and now land a durable, reliable center to join Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr in the frontcourt.”
Although Looney is nowhere near as skilled as Ayton, the Lakers would never have to wonder whether the former first-round pick would play with high energy regularly or take plays off on both ends of the floor.
Looney has earned a reputation as a solid interior defender who always seems to be around the ball, a quality the Lakers would love in a center.
Conversely, Ayton provided Los Angeles with a lackluster, unmotivated version of himself, leaving the franchise’s fan base scratching its head more often than not. Ayton would have his way with opponents in the low post one night and play unassertively the next, a trend that eventually led to his demise with the Lakers.
Ayton averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds with Los Angeles this season, shooting 67.1% from the field. It’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the Lakers pursue Looney and the other frontcourt targets Charania linked to the 17-time NBA champions.
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