Latest Lakers Rumors on Deandre Ayton Contract Option amid Mitchell Robinson Buzz

Deandre Ayton may yet return to the Los Angeles Lakers, amidst buzz that the team has interest in a championship center.

According to NBA reporters Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, "There were strong indications this weekend that Lakers center Ayton indeed intends to exercise his $8.1 million player option for next season rather than return to free agency."

Stein and Fischer previously reported that the Lakers were "regarded as a likely suitor" for longtime New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, a free agent this summer. If the Knicks don't extend into the second apron to keep the championship group together, Robinson would be a logical casualty.

Whether Ayton's return would prevent a Robinson signing remains to be seen—Ayton could certainly be packaged in a potential trade for upgrades elsewhere on the roster—but the duo wouldn't exactly raise the team's ceiling dramatically.

Ayton, 27, averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds across 72 games in his first season with the Lakers. He's a solid option at center, though getting an upgrade at the position—namely a rim-runner to pair with Luka Dončić and a better rim-protecter—would make sense.