The Los Angeles Lakers hoped Deandre Ayton would be the solution to their frontcourt crisis after the former No. 1 overall pick was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers this past summer. Halfway through the 2025-26 season, it's already become clear that the Lakers regret bringing him into the equation.
It's already been rumored that Los Angeles views Ayton as a stopgap rather than their long-term solution at the center position. But now this situation has gotten so bad that they no longer consider Ayton their band-aid solution. That's been apparent through head coach JJ Redick's coaching decisions, as Ayton has now been benched on multiple occasions.
Lakers clearly don't trust Deandre Ayton
The latest example was in the Lakers' 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Redick benched Ayton the entire fourth quarter, finishing with just four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. As has typically been the case throughout the season, Redick's decision was justified as the Lakers were better off without Ayton.
The Lakers were down 64-47 at halftime, and it's no coincidence that they started playing better after Redick pulled Ayton. Despite the loss, Jarred Vanderbilt finished with a team-high +16 in just 22 minutes. Even Jaxson Hayes was relatively more effective, with Redick turning to the flawed but athletic big man in the fourth instead of Ayton.
While the Lakers haven't openly admitted their regret in this Ayton addition and likely never would, it's become clear through both their rumors and, most significantly, actions. The fact that Ayton falls out of Redick's rotation in crunch time when the Lakers essentially have no other options speaks volumes. They're essentially saying Ayton is a negative, and they'd rather have the same formula that resulted in an early first-round playoff exit last season.
Ayton's next opportunity to get on Redick and the Lakers' good side comes on Jan. 24 in a road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. But at this point, we've had a large enough sample size to know that this is a much bigger problem that goes well beyond a one-game fix.
Ayton has seemingly lost the trust of the Los Angeles front office and coaching staff. It's interesting timing, too, with the Feb. 5 trade deadline just two weeks away. While Ayton likely wouldn't command a market, Los Angeles could potentially look for frontcourt upgrades.
They already knew Ayton wasn't their long-term solution, but now they know he's not their short-term answer, either.