Deandre Ayton Reportedly Traded to Wizards From Lakers, Full Details After Walker Kessler Deal

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly traded center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards on Friday.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers sent Ayton to the Wizards in exchange for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks in 2031 and 2032.

Los Angeles landed its new starting center earlier this offseason, handing Walker Kessler a four-year contract worth $130 million as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the Utah Jazz.

Utah received two first-round picks as well as two first-round pick swaps in the deal.

The Lakers will now consider veteran centers including Andre Drummond, Jonas Valančiūnas and Kevon Looney as options to serve as Kessler's backup, per Charania.

As for Ayton, he previously accepted his $8.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season on Monday.

The 27-year-old started 72 games in Los Angeles during his 2025-26 campaign, averaging 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game. He shot a career-high 67.1 percent from the field.

It's worth noting that Ayton struggled throughout the Lakers' second-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs, recording 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while connecting on 45.2 percent of his field goals during the series.

Still, the Wizards will look for him to provide more frontcourt depth as they attempt to take a step forward next season led by Trae Young, Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa.

Los Angeles came away from the trade with Hardy, who averaged 9.2 points per game on 42.4/39.7/73.3 shooting splits across 57 combined appearances on the Wizards and Dallas Mavericks last season.

The 23-year-old was previously teammates with Lakers star Luka Dončić in Dallas from 2022-25.