NBA News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Portland Trail Blazers Finalizing a Contract Buyout With Deandre Ayton: Report 8 Feb 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) walks out to the court during introductions before a game against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

'We Waiting for Breaking News' – 3x All-Star Getting Impatient With the Los Angeles Lakers And Deandre Ayton

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 9:37 AM ET

One of the players who has been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Lakers is Deandre Ayton. At the start of the NBA free agency, he agreed to have his contract bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, making him a free agent. While Ayton is free to sign a deal with any team, there hasn’t been any progress about where he’ll end up playing for the 2025-26 season.

After the Milwaukee Bucks surprised the league by waiving All-Star guard Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner, rumors about the Lakers and Ayton picked up momentum. Aside from the former No. 1 pick, L.A. was targeting Turner after missing out on signing Brook Lopez.

Without the former Indiana Pacers big man, all signs point to Ayton being part of the Lakers. However, there hasn’t been any confirmation about what the Purple & Gold team will do.

On Tuesday, former three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas posted a video of himself. In the video, he’s starting to become impatient with what the Los Angeles Lakers have planned and urged the organization to break the news about potentially signing Ayton.

“We’re waiting for [Deandre] Ayton,” Arenas said. “We’re waiting for breaking news. N***a done been here since yesterday. We want some good news. Everybody laughing at us right now because we can’t get a free agent. Nobody want to come and play with the King.

“The best news we done got all week, Bronny James playing Cooper Flagg. That’s it… and then Rob [Pelinka] signed his nephew — niece’s son, yesterday, Jake [LaRavia]. And we got Ayton walking around L.A., playing with our patience.”

Ayton might be the best fit for the Los Angeles Lakers since he’s in the same draft class as Luka Doncic. He’s also an athletic big man who can finish through contact and is a great pick-and-roll partner for a star guard like the Slovenian star. However, the organization has yet to make a move on the free agent center.

The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting other big men in the trade market

Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James Drops 1 Truth Bomb on Luka Doncic's Future With the Team 1 Apr 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to a replay that confirms he fouled Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the fourth quarter during game four of the first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are also looking at other options to acquire a center. According to reports, the team is exploring the trade market to potentially find their next starting big man. Recent reports indicate that the Lakers are targeting Nick Richards, Yves Missi and Robert Williams III.

ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel also reported that the Lakers reached out to the Orlando Magic regarding Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze. However, there haven’t been any reports about what the Magic’s response is.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: