The Portland Trail Blazers bought out center Deandre Ayton this offseason. He's now played just one game with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the debut was underwhelming enough to the point where Portland should already be feeling absolutely thrilled about that decision.
Los Angeles fell to the Golden State Warriors with a final score of 119-109. With an injured LeBron James out of the picture, other Lakers needed to step up alongside superstar Luka Doncic. Ayton, in theory, was a prime candidate to take on some of that offensive burden. Ever since he landed with the Lakers, all we've heard is how Doncic finally has a lob threat at his disposal, a recipe that the Dallas Mavericks had previously experienced great success with. However, the Lakers quickly learned that Ayton is not on Daniel Gafford's level, or even Dereck Lively II's, for that matter.
In fact, there was a stretch in this game where it was debatable if Ayton was even the best big man on the Lakers -- you know, the team that got exposed in the postseason for not having any frontcourt pieces. Ayton finished this contest with just 10 points, six rebounds, one block, and four turnovers in 34 minutes.
This is why the Blazers moved on from Deandre Ayton
Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick with the talent of a starting-caliber center. For that reason alone, many Lakers fans were excited about this addition, considering the desperation at the position. With Doncic in his prime and James' retirement window finally closing in, they can't afford to let another season go to waste.
The issue is... they still don't have a starting-level center.
Ayton's talent is undeniable, but he has a fatal flaw, which lies in his inability to play with intention. You can tell by the way Ayton moves on the court that he's just never fully engaged, whether it's his motor, basketball IQ, or something else entirely.
For his size and physical tools, Ayton should be a solid rim protector and lob threat -- exactly what this Lakers roster needs. But the idea of him has always been better than the actual end result.
This was the same exact issue that plagued Ayton's brief stint in Portland. It was clear the Phoenix Suns no longer wanted him around after numerous verbal altercations. Portland was hoping that Ayton would benefit from a change of scenery, but it turned out that the environment didn't matter -- this is simply just who he is as a player.
Good thing the Blazers finally came to this realization and were able to get Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his salary this season as part of the buyout agreement. Now, the headache that comes along with the Ayton experiment is the Lakers' problem, which makes it that much sweeter.