As the Los Angeles Lakers seek to address a glaring void at the center position, former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton has emerged as a potential trade target. But according to analysts Trevor Lane and Ron Gutterman on the Lakers Nation podcast, Ayton may not be the solution the Lakers are hoping for.
Ron Gutterman: “I think he’s one of those guys that, theoretically, maybe. I’m not as high on the Nick Claxton fit as I think a lot of people would be, just because he doesn’t quite have the frame to be a big body that goes toe-to-toe for thirty-five minutes a night with these other centers.”
“At the very least, Deandre Ayton has that frame, but he doesn’t have much else in terms of defensively being able to go toe-to-toe with some of the better centers in the Western Conference. Offensively, he can do some things.”
“He’s not the most dynamic. He doesn’t have the highest motor. He’s not really particularly special at any of the things you would need out of a center.”
“But I think, theoretically, because he’s a bigger body, because he does have some post game, he is a lob threat in some ways. He does have some of the tools you’re looking for. He’s just not particularly great at any of them.”
Trevor Lane: “You sound very hesitant to endorse the idea of going after a big man like Deandre Ayton. Ironically, taken first overall in the year that Luka was drafted third overall. The Lakers would have two of the top three picks in that draft class if they were to get Deandre Ayton. But I do agree with your concerns.”
“There’s certainly motor concerns there. You see it when you watch the film. You see it in the numbers. That, I think, is a big red flag for me. It’s the motor concerns you need. If you’re going to be a big physical player, you’re not going to really shoot the three.”
“He has dabbled with shooting the three a little bit, just not particularly effectively. By the way, he shot eighteen percent from three last season. Not good enough to really be a true threat out there.”
“But I do think you’ve got to be somebody that is really going to give all of the other things out there on the court, the rebounding, the hustle, making the intangible plays. I don’t know that you’re going to get that out of Dendre Ayton.”
“But he is seven-foot-one. He is a big body. He is a negative deterrent at the rim. I mean, he negatively impacts opponents’ field goal percentage at the rim — maybe not quite to the degree that we would hope.”
“But is this a case where, on a one-year contract — that’s all he’s got left on his deal, it’s worth the risk for the Lakers?”
Ron Gutterman: “This will be his age 27 season. The expiring contract, I think, is interesting only because there’s almost no way he plays good enough next season to warrant another thirty-five million dollar multi-year contract.”
“So you are getting him at kind of the last year that he’ll have this really expensive value, and you’ll have the chance to probably sign him at a better rate next season. You’ll have his bird rights to do that. Like, there’s some intrigue there.”
“But I do think that thirty-five point five million dollar figure is really daunting, to the point where I personally just don’t see how it’s worth the risk, given the fact that he doesn’t do anything that the Lakers need their center to do well enough to do it at a thirty-five-minute-a-night level.”
Trevor Lane: “Like, if you had the option of trading for Deandre Ayton — and we’ll get into what an Ayton trade would look like or sign a thirty-seven-year-old Brook Lopez to a one-year deal and use your full taxpayer mid-level, or Clint Capela, would you rather go that route than commit to Deandre Ayton being your starting center for at least this year?”
Ron Gutterman: “Yeah, I would say definitely Clint Capela and probably Brook Lopez over Deandre Ayton at that number. Now, if Deandre Ayton was making eighteen million, we’d be having a much different conversation.”
“I’d say, yeah, let’s just do this. This is worth the risk. But at thirty-five point five million, he becomes your third-highest-paid player by a lot, especially because of who you’d have to trade to get him. So he kind of and he just won’t be able to produce at the level of the third-highest-paid player on a Luka–LeBron team.”
On paper, Ayton seems like a reasonable fit. At 7-foot-1, he possesses the size and rebounding ability the Lakers sorely missed during their first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds this season while shooting an efficient 56.6% from the field.
However, both Lane and Gutterman emphasized that numbers don’t tell the full story. Ayton appeared in only 40 games and delivered his lowest statistical output in four seasons. More troubling are the persistent questions about his motor, focus, and fit in high-intensity playoff situations.
The financial cost is another major concern. Ayton is owed $35.5 million in the final year of his contract, making him the third-highest-paid player on a roster that already features Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
So what would a deal for Ayton even look like? Lane suggested a framework built around Rui Hachimura’s $18 million salary, combined with one or more players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, or Maxi Kleber. Even Shake Milton’s smaller salary could be thrown into match contracts. Still, this would be a steep price for a player who has never truly lived up to the hype of a No. 1 overall pick.
In the end, the consensus was clear: Ayton is intriguing in theory, but the price tag and underwhelming impact make him a highly risky option. For a Lakers team trying to maximize LeBron’s twilight years and Luka’s prime, there may be smarter, more cost-effective solutions available.
