The Los Angeles Lakers are quietly reaching a point where moving on from Deandre Ayton no longer feels dramatic. It feels practical. And if they do decide to dump him, there is a growing belief around the league that finding a replacement center will not be difficult at all.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon laid it out plainly on The Hoop Collective Podcast. The pitch is simple and powerful: Los Angeles plus Luka Doncic. According to McMahon, agents already see it that way.
“They have the fact they’re the Los Angeles Lakers, and I can just tell you, big men will do back flips to be able to be in that Lakers uniform paired with Luka. I was talking to an agent who’s got a big man who may or may not be on the move, and he would love to get his guy in L.A. Big men are going to want to play with Luka that much, I can assure you.”
On paper, his season numbers still look solid. Ayton is averaging 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting an elite 66.2 percent from the field. Dig a little deeper, though, and the trend line is not flattering. Through his first 23 games, before December 14, Ayton posted eight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Since then, he has managed just one such performance across 16 games.
The eye test has matched the decline. Against the Dallas Mavericks, Ayton finished with nine points and 11 rebounds while shooting 4-for-16 from the field. It was not just the misses, it was the type of misses. Blown layups, missed lobs, and wide-open looks clanking off the rim. At one point, Luka Doncic’s frustration was visible after an Ayton missed an easy lob that should have been automatic.
That moment echoed something former player Markieff Morris revealed earlier this month, saying Luka was not particularly impressed with Ayton even during his Portland stint. Since then, the warning signs have piled up. LeBron James staring down Ayton during a game sparked viral fan reactions.
JJ Redick has yanked Ayton early for lack of effort. In one game, Jaxson Hayes closed instead, with Redick later offering a blunt four-word explanation for the decision.
Behind the scenes, the organizational messaging has been just as telling. Reports have made it clear that the Lakers are committed to Austin Reaves, not Ayton.
Rob Pelinka is openly looking for upgrades at multiple positions. Even Ayton himself sounded frustrated when discussing the new offensive approach, saying, ‘Bigs can’t feed themselves.’
All of this makes Ayton feel less like a long-term piece and more like a placeholder.
That is where McMahon’s point becomes crucial. The Lakers do not need a star center. They need a complementary one. Someone who will sprint into screens, catch lobs, protect the rim, and finish plays that Luka creates. In today’s NBA, there are plenty of big men who would happily accept that role, especially in Los Angeles, especially next to a generational playmaker.
Ayton was supposed to be more than that. Instead, he has become a reminder that fit matters as much as talent. If the Lakers decide to move on, league insiders expect the line of interested replacement options to be longer than many fans realize.
Unless something changes drastically, this could quietly be the beginning of the end for Ayton’s NBA career. The talent is still there, and opportunity is there. What happens next will determine whether he remains a rotation player in this league or becomes another cautionary tale about potential that never fully translated.
