The Lakers finally have their center, and it's... Deandre Ayton? Yes, the former Phoenix Suns big man signed with Los Angeles after clearing waivers on Wednesday. On Sunday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Ayton was finalizing a contract buyout with Portland, where Phoenix traded him in 2023.
Shortly before Ayton cleared waivers, insider Marc Stein tweeted that teams expected the center to commit to the Lakers.
Multiple interested teams expect Deandre Ayton to commit to the Lakers after he clears waivers today at 5 PM ET, league sources tell @JakeLFischer and me.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2025
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Charania tweeted that Ayton agreed to sign with Los Angeles thirty-five minutes after he became available.
BREAKING: Deandre Ayton has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. Between Portland and L.A., Ayton will earn $34 million next season. Agents Nima Namakian of Innovate Sports and Bill Duffy of WME Sports reached the deal with Lakers president Rob Pelinka. pic.twitter.com/FUeNAkN19K
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025
Ayton was the Lakers' best option in free agency, but that doesn't mean the partnership will work out. Charania tried to spin the signing as good news for LA, but as Phoenix (and Portland) fans know, the Lakers could have more problems on their hands as a result of adding Ayton to the roster. This paragraph from Jason Quick of The Athletic about why the Blazers dropped the center (subscription required) says everything:
"But in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort."
Lakers signing former Suns center Deandre Ayton is comical
Ayton isn't the needle-mover that the Lakers need to win a title, much less keep LeBron in town. His injury history is concerning (he played 55 games in 2023-24 and 40 in 2024-25), the Blazers were better with him off the floor than on it, and he isn't the lob threat that Luka Doncic asked for.
Things got so bad with Ayton in Phoenix that the Suns traded him for Jusuf Nurkic, a move that turned out to be another headache for the organization. Los Angeles looked beyond Ayton's past due to its desperation, but it shouldn't be long until the Lakers realize why the Suns and Trail Blazers were so desperate to get rid of him.
Ayton in LA will be entertaining. Surely, he and JJ Redick will get along well. A player who doesn't take their job seriously is every coach's dream, especially one who spent 15 seasons in the NBA and was known for his intense offseason workouts!
The Lakers needed to win the offseason, but so far, all they've done is make fools of themselves.