Lakers’ Deandre Ayton Expected To Exercise Player Option?

The first overall pick of the 2018 draft, Ayton had an up and down first season in Los Angeles, making a career-high 72 regular season appearances and shooting a career-best 67.1% from the floor. However, his field goal attempts (8.3), points (12.5), rebounds (8.0) and minutes per game (27.2) were all career lows.

Ayton, who turns 28 years old next month, played a key role in helping the Lakers win their first-round playoff series vs. Houston, averaging 11.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 31.0 MPG while playing strong defense on Alperen Sengun.

The Bahamian big man was largely a non-factor in the second round when L.A. was swept by Oklahoma City though, averaging more field goal attempts (7.8) than points per game (7.3) largely because he shot just 45.2% from the floor. He also contributed 7.8 RPG in 24.8 MPG.

Ayton has become something of an enigma in his eight years in the league. When he’s locked in and playing his best, he’s a valuable contributor on both ends of the court who has a feathery soft touch near the basket. But he coasts through games at times, making his market value difficult to gauge.

Assuming Helin’s report is accurate, Ayton will have decided he wasn’t going to draw a ton of external interest this summer, instead opting for the security of his guaranteed $8.1MM salary. If that comes to fruition, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

Picking up his option doesn’t necessarily mean Ayton will remain with the Lakers next season, since they might decide to use his contract in a trade, either this summer or ahead of the next deadline in February.