Lakers Insider Reveals One Player is Team's 'Top Priority' in Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers are on the hunt for a new center via free agency and reportedly remain focused on one target.

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton is a top target for the Lakers, according to The Athletic's Dan Woike.

Ayton was bought out from Portland right before free agency. He had $35 million left on his contract, but he agreed to forfeit $10 million from his deal to hit the open market.

More news: Lakers Miss Out on Free Agent Target to Clippers in $18 Million Deal

The Lakers, who are limited to the $5 million bi-annual exception and about $8 million of the non-tax-payer mid-level exception, are scouring the market for any value propositions at the center position.

"LA’s center target list, which began the day with Brook Lopez, Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton on it, quickly shrank to one by the early evening with Lopez agreeing to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and Capela heading to Houston via a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks," Woike writes.

"Ayton was clearly the Lakers' top priority. He was picked first in the same draft as Luka Dončić, shares an agency with Dončić under Bill Duffy, who heads WME basketball, and is best equipped to give the Lakers the rolling lob threat Dončić has thrived alongside."

More news: Who Is Jake LaRavia? Everything You Need to Know About Newest Lakers Forward

Ayton played two seasons for Portland after five years with the Phoenix Suns. He was traded to the Blazers in a trade that sent Jusuf Nurkic to the Suns.

In two seasons with the Blazers, he averaged, 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, though he played only 95 games out of 164.

Ayton presents a risk for any team he signs for. He has a history of missing games with injuries for long stretches.

Also, the big man is known to cause problems in the locker room and gives inconsistent effort — even when he was on an NBA title-contending team with the Suns.

Several coaches reportedly were fed up with his mentality and commitment to basketball this past season, per The Athletic.

If the Lakers land him, there is hope that he can overcome these issues in a different atmosphere, but there is a reason why the former No. 1 pick is on the market.

It is on Ayton to change the narrative around his career and the Lakers will offer an opportuntiy to do just that.

More news: Lakers’ Primary Target Now Available This Offseason

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.