The Lakers are only a bit more than a week into the NBA offseason, and still three days from the June 30 opening of free agency, but already, things are trending away from them. The team has not seem to have identified a solution to replace center Deandre Ayton, and potential options are getting more and more limited. There is also some wavering on bringing back LeBron James in free agency, which might be wise in terms of long-term team-building, but will leave open the question: How does a team replace 21.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists with any kind of efficiency?
But the Ayton problem may well be the most pressing, because the Lakers have made it a point to upgrade the position this summer. Ayton was fine as a fill-in last year, with 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds to go with inconsistent defensive impact, but he never had the kind of presence in the paint the Lakers wanted on defense, or the kind of offensive versatility any team would want out of their 5-man.
Thus, with Ayton having signed a two-year, $16 million contract last summer, with a player option in the second year, the hope in L.A. was that Ayton would forgo the option year and return to free agency.
Deandre Ayton ‘Expected’ to Stick With Lakers Contract
Alas. According to old friend Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the expectation is that Ayton will pick up that option year and keep himself on the Lakers roster for $8 million. In discussing the possible Lakers addition of the likes of Mitchell Robinson or Daniel Gafford, Helin added a detail tucked in parenthetically. He wrote: “It’s no secret the Lakers are looking to upgrade at center (it should be noted Deandre Ayton is expected to pick up his player option and be back with the team).”
Now, Ayton picking up his option does have real consequences for L.A. His $8 million returning salary would chew into the $50 million or so the Lakers have in free-agent cap space, which is already diminished by cap holds and the team’s draft pick. The Lakers could find that their cap space is burnt through quickly just by keeping the players they’d like to bring back.
Free Agency Still Up in the Air
And that’s a long list. The Lakers would like to keep Marcus Smart, who is expected to opt out and test the free-agent market. They’d like to keep Luke Kennard, and Rui Hachimura, plus James. heck, even backup center Jaxson Hayes is wanted back. Already, we’ve seen the Lakers agree to a massive new four-year, $185 million contract for Austin Reaves.
But Ayton is not a player they’d necessarily like to keep. The feeling around the league is that centers are in such short supply, and midlevel exception money is plentiful enough that Ayton would opt out and test the market–we projected him at two years and $24 million in free agency.
If that’s not happening, though, the Lakers will need to reckon with the reality of Ayton sticking on the roster–and seek to find a trade for him sooner rather than later.
Lakers’ Deandre Ayton ‘Expected’ to Make $8 Million Contract Decision