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One and done.
That's Deandre Ayton's time with the Los Angeles Lakers, officially concluded on Friday when they traded him to the Washington Wizards.
The deal was reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, and it sends Jaden Hardy and a pair of second-round picks back to the Lakers.
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, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bAEtSFpTNi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026While it might not feel like an even trade, it was never going to be. Ayton didn't stand a chance after the Lakers' recent moves.
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Why did the Lakers trade Deandre Ayton to the Wizards?
The writing was on the wall from the moment the Lakers got Walker Kessler from the Jazz and signed him to a four-year, $130 million contract.
Kessler would be the starter, and Ayton wouldn't have much of a role.
On top of that, Ayton's salary wasn't going to fit. The Lakers made a bunch of free agent signings, and Ayton was a goner.
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If no one had made a trade, the Lakers almost surely would've cut Ayton. They couldn't keep him and navigate the salary cap aprons how they would've wanted.
Getting a young guard in Hardy, and a couple future picks, is the best they could do.
The Wizards are likely hoping to pair Ayton with Anthony Davis in a frontcourt of two former No. 1 picks. Whether or not that comes to fruition, though, isn't yet certain. The Wizards also have a former No. 2 pick, Alex Sarr, as the promising future of their interior presence -- so it's crowded.
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