We’ve only been through a full day of free agency and the pressure is mounting for the Lakers to find a player who can fill their center position. Initially, the Los Angeles club had been linked to several big men like Clint Capela and Brook Lopez, but both of them have already found a new home in a matter of hours. 

This left the California front office with very few options to chose from, until suddenly, out of nowhere, DeAndre Ayton signed a buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers and is currently a free agent. The purple and gold franchise now have their full attention on the 27-year-old star.

It had been reported that the Portland organization had tried to trade the center, but then decided to buy him out as no deals were progressing as they had hoped for. At least on paper, both Lakers and Ayton seem to be a perfect match, as NBA insider Chris Haynes reported at the start of the week.

“That is a strong possibility. Strong possibility. The Lakers already had a plethora of options to look for at the center position in free agency. They had Clint Capela out there, Brook Lopez out there. And now you add Deandre Ayton all of a sudden to the equation” the reporter assured.

Haynes then gave a quick preview of how Deandre could fit in Los Angeles: “If they’re able to land this, which again, sources have told me this is a strong possibility, you would pair him up with Luka Doncic who is in his draft class.”

However, it is important to mention that Ayton is coming off one of the worst campaigns of his career, after averaging a career-low-tying 14.4 points per match, playing only 40 games for Portland this past year. ESPN’s Shams Charania ESPN said that the player expressed a desire to join a title-contending club.

There are rumours around the Blazers camp that the 27-year-old engaged in indiscipline and “bad ways,” which goes against Chauncey Billups’ motto. Inside the executive’s office, in bold letters reads an adage that says, “You can have bad plays, but not bad ways.”

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