Deandre Ayton Opts Into $8.1M Lakers Contract, LA's Salary Cap for Free Agency amid LeBron Rumors

DeAndre Ayton will return for a second season with the Los Angeles Lakers after activating his player option.

Ayton is exercising his $8.1 million option for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Ayton averaged 12.5 points, eight rebounds and a block per game in 72 starts of his first regular season with the Lakers.

He averaged 10 points and 9.6 rebounds in 10 playoff games before the Lakers were eliminated from the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ayton hit free agency last summer after finalizing a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers with one year and $35.6 million remaining on his contract.

He then signed with the Lakers on a $8.1 million salary while also getting paid more than $25 million by the Blazers.

Ayton started every contest he played for the Lakers last season, although he saw his playing time dip as head coach J.J. Redick sometimes turned to backup centers Jaxson Hayes or Maxi Kleber down the stretch of games.

After previously expressing discontent with spending time on the bench, Ayton told The Athletic's Dan Woike he had "completely" bought in to his new role by March.

Ayton proved that during his first postseason run in Los Angeles, during which he played a key defensive role as the Lakers made it past the Houston Rockets despite missing Austin Reaves for most of the first round and Luka Dončić for the entirety of the playoffs.

He finished the postseason with the highest defensive rating of any Lakers starter outside of Reaves.

Getting one of their starters back for next season on a relatively affordable salary could help the Lakers navigate an offseason in which some key players remain unsigned.

LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are heading into the summer as unrestricted free agents. Los Angeles at least took care of Reaves, agreeing to a four-year, $184.8 million deal.

The Lakers' frontcourt could be thinned further by the potential departures of Kleber and Hayes, who also played last season on expiring contracts.

Keeping Ayton under his player option could give the Lakers more space under the first apron with which to retain or replace these key players.

Ayton, originally selected by the Phoenix Suns two picks ahead of Dončić at the top of the 2018 draft, played five seasons for the Suns and two for the Blazers before arriving in Los Angeles.

He heads into his age-28 season with career averages of 15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one block through 470 regular-season games.