Former Arizona Star Deandre Ayton Finds New Home

The NBA off-season is in full swing as free agency opened up on July 1 with deals and trades getting done right and left with player movement all over the place. Now on Wednesday morning, former Arizona center Deandre Ayton will be on the move after getting a contract buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers.

According to ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania, Ayton intends to sign a 2-year deal with the Lakers, which includes a player’s option. At this time, the money of the contract has not been released.

However, we do know that Ayton will be making $34 million next season between the Lakers’ contract and the buyout money from Portland.

With Ayton going to the Lakers, it means that the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft will be playing alongside that season’s  third overall pick in guard Luka Doncic, who many thought was going to be the top-pick of that class.

Some may argue that Ayton has been a bust up to this point in his career. However, that is a wild statement given the fact that during his time with Phoenix he was a walking double-double averaging 16.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the organization.

Those are hall of fame numbers that Ayton was averaging in Phoenix and if he does that for the rest of his career, he will be in the basketball hall of fame. So, to call him a bust is simply wild.

Still, things weren’t going well in Portland and his season averages were shrinking each season while in the Northwest. Ayton spent just two seasons with the Trail Blazers and it was clear that both sides were ready to move on from the partnership.

If there is one place in the NBA that gets the most out of struggling players, it is Los Angeles and the aura that is the Lakers.

Now, that doesn’t mean Ayton in L.A. is going to 100% be a slam dunk signing. This deal has the potential to be great, or be a horrible decision by the organization.

The Lakers have all the resources needed to win NBA titles and just sold for $10 billion. So, even if it doesn’t work out, they can afford the risk because the reward of potentially adding to the trophy room is much higher than the risk factor.

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