Deandre Ayton Reportedly Agrees to 2-Year, $16.6M Lakers Contract After Blazers Buyout

Veteran center Deandre Ayton has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers following his buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Ayton will earn $34 million during the 2025-26 season between his buyout with Portland and his new deal with Los Angeles, Charania added.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Ayton's deal with the Lakers is for two years and is worth $16.6 million. He holds a player option in the second year of the deal.

Multiple teams reached out to the Trail Blazers to conduct background on Ayton and "and received strong reviews surrounding Ayton's leadership and mentoring of big men such as Donovan Clingan," according to Charania.

Ayton's buyout was mutually beneficial for he and the Blazers.

The 26-year-old hasn't performed like a $30 million player in recent seasons, so Portland was probably happy to save some money on his salary while focusing on their younger bigs. Ayton, meanwhile, wanted a change of scenery. ESPN's Shams Charania reported he and his reps "approached the Blazers about a buyout and Ayton wanting to play in a winning situation."

Cases can be made for and against the 7-footer as an impact signing for Los Angeles.

Ayton is a walking double-double. He's averaging 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds for his career. He has yet to post a single season in which he hit single digits in either category.

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick is in the prime of his career with plenty of motivation to have a monster 2025-26 season. In the best-case scenario, it's doubtful he'll be a max player again next summer, but he can at least earn himself a sizable payday.

There's still some upside here.

However, this basically echoes the same conversations that have followed Ayton for multiple years.

It all started when the Phoenix Suns drove a hard bargain when he was approaching free agency in 2022. They let him sign an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers and then matched it, which isn't something a team typically does with a star it sees as a foundational piece.

A year later, Phoenix shipped Ayton out of town when he failed to evolve much as a player.

The Blazers represented a fresh start for the Bahamian big as they entered into a full-scale rebuild. Ayton had a much less pressurized setting where he could put up numbers and showcase his skills for either his current team or a potential suitor.

Instead, his Portland run ended with him exiting and the Blazers getting nothing but some financial relief in return.

Ayton's game hasn't significantly improved from his rookie season, and that year was also the last time he logged 70-plus appearances.

With the Lakers in need of a center, this was one of the better solutions that was realistically on the table. But it might be good to temper expectations and avoid thinking Ayton is on his way toward a renaissance.

The risk for Los Angeles is particularly acute when this is probably where the weight of expectations and spotlight on him will be their biggest.

Playing alongside LeBron James and Luka Dončić and suiting up for one of the NBA's premier franchises — on top of being in a contract year — might light a fire under Ayton.

And there's no question he's better than what L.A. was throwing out at center following Anthony Davis' departure.

Still, it's easy to picture the same problems following Ayton to the Lakers, where they become an even larger source of frustration for his team and its fans.