The Portland Trail Blazers are literally paying not to have Deandre Ayton on their team. They reached a buyout this offseason, getting Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his $35.6 million salary this season. This was one of those addition by subtraction moves that Portland made this summer, as they've become much better off without the talented but flawed center.
Ayton's buyout presented an opportunity for a desperate Los Angeles Lakers team to upgrade its frontcourt, which was a key issue that led to last season's early postseason exit. They even landed Ayton on a relatively team-friendly deal, signing him to a two-year, $16.2 million contract that includes a player option in 2026-27.
Deandre Ayton's flaws are starting to show in Los Angeles
Early in the season, many Lakers fans were thrilled about this decision. Ayton even looked like an entirely different player than the one Blazers fans had no choice but to root for during those two seasons. However, Blazers fans did see this version of Ayton -- at the very beginning of his time in Portland.
He was on a mission to prove the Phoenix Suns wrong for giving up on him. Ultimately, that motivation wore off, as Ayton grew tired of losing in Portland. His disinterest wasn't necessarily expressed publicly; it was through his on-court body language and inconsistent motor.
Admittedly, the production was still there from time to time, but Ayton was the exact opposite of what the young Blazers team still needed to build a winning culture. As a result, he finally got the change of scenery he wanted, playing "somewhere where it counts" under the spotlight of the historic Lakers franchise in the Los Angeles market.
That initially appeared to be win-win for both Ayton and the Lakers. Rob Pelinka remains one of the most overrated general managers in the league and was somewhat bailed out when Ayton fell into his lap after failing to address the position. Anything was better than Jaxson Hayes.
Why the Lakers can't depend on Deandre Ayton
While that still rings true, the Lakers are beginning to realize that Ayton is a band-aid solution. And the thing about Ayton is, he's not exactly the type of player who responds well to adversity, whether it's team or individual. Lakers fans loved him when they were winning, and he was playing well, even contributing to that winning. But Blazers and Suns fans tried telling them that this is an up-and-down Deandre Ayton experience that ultimately isn't sustainable. He eventually either regresses or loses interest.
We're already seeing that to be true, and it's slowly been eating away at the entire Lakers season. Ayton's scoring is plummeting, which appears to be affecting his whole game. He's like that guy at the rec who won't play defense or do any of the intangibles unless he's getting enough touches on offense.
"I think he's frustrated," Lakers head coach JJ Redick said about Ayton's recent slump. "He doesn't feel like he's getting the ball."
That's going to happen when you play alongside a star trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. Offensively, you may feel like the odd man out, but it's your job to make your presence felt elsewhere, making an impact outside of scoring. That's the whole part of this equation that Ayton appears to be missing.
The Lakers are going to struggle to find a trade partner for Ayton, and they don't even control his fate with that player option next season. Even worse, he's quietly creating roster tension, which is the last thing this team needs under the Los Angeles/LeBron James spotlight.
Now that the Lakers finally see what Blazers fans meant, they need to cut their losses. Realistically, that means pursuing a starting center upgrade at the deadline or in the offseason and diminishing Ayton's role.