The Los Angeles Lakers have traded Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks in 2031 and 2032, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Friday.
This decision by the Lakers comes after their aggressive trade with the Utah Jazz to acquire a true starting center in Walker Kessler. Now, they not only have demoted Ayton to the backup position but have moved on from him entirely, making this the fourth landing spot for the former No. 1 overall pick.
It's even more telling that the Lakers now have to search for frontcourt depth and a new center to spell Wessler. Ayton recently picked up his $8.1 million player option for this season, which is still reasonable value for Los Angeles considering their desperation at the position.
Lakers admit Deandre Ayton mistake with Wizards trade
It's fair to wonder to the extent to which this decision was also financially motivated in terms of clearing space for additional offseason moves. Forward Rui Hachimura, for instance, remains a free agent and is someone the Lakers need to move quickly on, as he is gaining interest from the rest of the league.
Regardless, this decision by the Lakers is further proof that the Blazers were right to move on from Ayton after all.
After being bought out by Portland and joining the Lakers, Ayton said he was excited to be "somewhere where it counts." Just one year later, he finds himself joining a 17-win Wizards team.
Even worse, he'll likely come off the bench with Washington having its frontcourt solidified between Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis, the latter of whom they appear set on holding onto through the offseason despite previous trade speculation.
Ayton had the worst statistical season of his career in Los Angeles, averaging 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, both career lows. Theoretically, he remains in his prime at 27, but unfortunately his career is already on a downward trajectory.
After not working out with the Phoenix Suns, Portland took a flyer on whether the talent could be unleashed elsewhere and whether he could benefit from a change of scenery. It was more of the same. The talent never fully translated to production, as his impact was hindered by serious flaws such as poor on-court awareness and an inconsistent motor.
Fortunately, the Blazers fixed that mistake, getting Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his salary in a buyout after two underwhelming seasons in Portland. Now, it looks like the Lakers are realizing the same, turning him into any future assets they can get.
After what is officially a third failed stint for Ayton, it's safe to say teams around the league now have a concrete idea of who he is as a player. A solid backup, all things considered, but never going to reach that ceiling that made him the top selection in 2018.
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