Former Suns Staffer Reportedly Predicts 'Disaster' for Deandre Ayton with Luka, Lakers

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers' hope that Deandre Ayton can solve their issues at center next season, at least one person who used to work for one of his former clubs is pessimistic about the 26-year-old making a positive impact.

On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 6:50 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon spoke to a former Phoenix Suns staffer who predicted Ayton will be a "disaster" for the Lakers.

"I talked to a couple people yesterday about Deandre Ayton," MacMahon said. "I talked to one former Phoenix staffer, one former Portland staffer. And the former Phoenix staffer is like, 'This is not going to work. He's going to do his little half roll thing, Luka's going to get fed up with him. JJ Redick is going to get driven crazy. This is going to be a disaster.'

"The former Portland staffer was like, 'Listen. Everything that went wrong in Portland, some of it was on Deandre, some of it was on the organization.' His feeling, though, was Ayton is going to understand the situation here. He's not a max player. He's a guy who's been dumped by two franchises."

Ayton, who received a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers, became the best available option for the Lakers after players like Brook Lopez and Clint Capela agreed to deals with other teams.

The Lakers gave Ayton a two-year, $16.6 million deal with the idea that he can slot in as their starting center. His style of play makes him a potentially good fit with Luka Dončić for the offense.

Per ESPN's Kevin Pelton, Ayton ranked third in points scored as a screen-setter in each of his final two seasons with the Suns (2021-22 and 2022-23).

There are other issues that come with Ayton being the primary big man on a team. He doesn't attack the basket and has never averaged more than three free-throw attempts per game in a season.

Ayton's defense has been underrated throughout his career, though he's not regarded as a rim-protector. That can lead to problems given the defensive issues the Lakers already figure to have with Dončić and Austin Reaves on the floor.

Off the court, there have been stories about Ayton not being the most dedicated player. The Athletic's Jason Quick noted the Blazers became frustrated with Ayton's "bad ways" that included being late to team flights and practices, skipping rehab appointments and "tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort."

Perhaps some of those issues will be alleviated by playing on a team that figures to be a playoff contender next season, but some of the concerns about Ayton date back to his tenure with the Suns.

The Lakers don't have a large financial investment in Ayton if things don't work out, but they are in trouble if he can't improve their production at the center position next season.