LeBron James is heading for his red wine, and the Los Angeles Lakers are heading for Cancun after a second-round exit at the hands of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. This unsurprising series sweep showed just how far the majority of the Western Conference has to go to catch up to the Thunder. It also exposed major flaws in the Lakers' frontcourt, particularly when it comes to starter Deandre Ayton.
In that four-game stretch, Ayton averaged just 7.3 points per game. That production looks even worse when you consider the Lakers were without superstar Luka Doncic, meaning they needed other key players to step up. Unfortunately, Ayton didn't rise to the occasion, making it that much harder for the Lakers to actually consider him a key piece going forward.
Lakers' search for a reliable center continues
The Lakers now face an uncertain offseason, with, of course, the headliner being James' future. But what are they going to do about their center position that has now been a fatal flaw for multiple seasons?
It's been rumored throughout the season that Los Angeles views Ayton as a stopgap rather than the long-term answer. It's not only the motor concerns and overall lack of on-court awareness, but it's also the poor fit with Doncic. The Lakers are on a quest to surround Doncic with complementary pieces similar to those he had in his Finals run with the Dallas Mavericks. Ayton doesn't fit that long-term picture.
In fact, he may not even fit the short-term picture, either. Ayton has an $8.1 million player option for next season, which he may not even pick up. He's at least going to consider pursuing a larger contract in free agency.
That thought alone is hilarious, as Ayton has largely been a headache for the Lakers this season, with head coach JJ Redick benching him on multiple occasions. It's now been three failed landing spots between Phoenix, Portland, and Los Angeles, proving that the team environment was never the issue.
Why would any team give him a lucrative deal after seeing yet another failed DominAyton experiment?
Blazers were right to move on from Deandre Ayton
Ayton has consistently voiced how excited he was to be a Los Angeles Laker. He said he was "somewhere where it counts now" after first joining the Lakers, and even recently discussed how much he likes being on the big stage, saying he felt as though he "disappeared" in Portland. Now he's already considering leaving that franchise, which he was so adamant about being the ideal landing spot.
This is a contradictory yet predictable situation. And it's one that the Trail Blazers were wise to proactively avoid.
When they bought out Ayton, Portland was able to get him to forfeit $10 million of his salary for the 2025-26 season. Given his massive contract and underwhelming season with the Blazers, he was largely considered a negative asset. They were never going to trade him without incentivizing a team to take on that salary with young assets attached. That's why a buyout was ultimately in their best interest. It not only provided financial flexibility but also helped establish a stronger winning culture.
Most significantly, it cleared the path for Donovan Clingan. The UConn product took another leap in his second season, in part because of his offseason work, in part because Portland made him more of a priority.
Now, the Blazers have their true center of the future. Someone committed to building something special in Rip City, and who doesn't take this city or franchise for granted.
As another turbulent Ayton season officially concludes, GM Joe Cronin's decision to move on from the talented but frustrating big man looks better than ever.
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