After staying relatively quiet at the start of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers finally struck on Wednesday afternoon as reports indicate they agreed to a contract with Deandre Ayton, who was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers and cleared waivers.
Ayton is expected to be the Lakers’ starting center and was brought in at great value since he was bought out of the final year of his contract that will pay him around $25 million from Portland.
The Lakers used part of their mid-level exception to sign Jake LaRavia, and it appears the rest of it will be going to Ayton. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the former No. 1 overall pick is signing a two-year contract worth $16.6 million that includes a player option for 2026-27.
Deandre Ayton's contract with the Lakers is for two years, per source, starting at $8.1 million for this 2025-26 campaign. He's still due $25.6 million from Portland this season, following his buyout from the Trail Blazers.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 2, 2025
It's a two-year, $16.6 million agreement between Deandre Ayton and Los Angeles, hitting the Lakers' books for 2025-26 and 2026-27. Player option in Year 2. https://t.co/VvAeVs72cD
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 2, 2025
This was good negotiating by Ayton’s agent as he was able to secure a second year at a solid price with the player option, giving them security if things go poorly this season.
The hope is that won’t be the case, however, as Ayton is the rim-running big that the Lakers have been looking for to pair with Luka Doncic. Funny enough, Ayton was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft when Doncic went third.
Ayton is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds on 56.6% shooting in 40 games for Portland and if he can have a big year in L.A., he should be in for another payday next summer.
The Lakers still have more moves to make and even though their mid-level exception is gone, they still have their bi-annual exception of around $5 million to use to upgrade the roster even more.
Lakers still in trade talks for centers?
In addition to free agency, the Lakers are also said to be involved in trade talks for centers that may be available around the league. Having a starting center like Deandre Ayton will likely help give Rob Pelinka some leverage in those negotiations, so it will be interesting to see what other moves he can make.
The center position is still a priority as the Lakers will need some quality depth behind Ayton.
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