There’s little doubt that when the Los Angeles Lakers come back in the 2026-27 season, they will look considerably different than the team that was eliminated from the conference finals in a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. The team features as many as nine free agents–depending on how the opt-out decisions go–and even in the unlikely event that both of the two biggest names (LeBron James and Austin Reaves) return next year, there will be new faces all around.
One of the more interesting names in that mix figures to be Deandre Ayton, who has a a player option on the back end of the two year, $16.2 million contract he signed last summer after he was released by the Trail Blazers. Ayton’s $8.1 million is not a back-breaker for L.A. But ask around the league, and it’s clear: His presence as a starter for the Lakers is a back-breaker.
Deandre Ayton Disappointed in Playoffs
Many in the Lakers organization are just counting down the days until they can move on from Ayton, especially after the way he shriveled up in the playoffs against the Thunder. While Ayton had some good rebounding performances through the early part of the postseason, and was applauded for them, he continued to have his worst habits exposed at critical moments–in Game 4, a frustrated coach JJ Redick benched Ayton after he repeatedly fumbled entry passes on the offensive end and provided little resistance on the defensive end.
“It’s hard to see his time in that role as anything but a disaster,” one NBA executive said. “The thing with Ayton is he usually does just enough for his team to think he is going to take a step forward. Then he never takes that step forward, and you go through it all over again.
“Everything the Lakers tried to do with him in the regular season was aimed at making him just be serviceable in the playoffs. Like, just serviceable–catch the ball, rebounds the ball, move around in the paint. Do that, and the whole Ayton experiment for them would be successful. He did not do that, though. Disaster.”
Lakers Likely Will Look Elsewhere for a Center
Indeed, Ayton was 3-for-3 from the floor on Monday but played only 21 minutes. He had just three rebounds. The Lakers clearly need an upgrade if they have any hope of competing next season.
There are two outcomes that Ayton controls here: He can opt in and be on the Lakers roster at $8.1 million, or he can opt out and hit free agency. Even with his struggles, Ayton is considered a good candidate to opt out because he could probably earn a slightly bigger payday in free agency.
If Ayton opts out, expect the Lakers to hold the door open for him as he exits. If Ayton opts in and wants to return to the Lakers, expect the team to push him into whatever large-scale trade packages they might come up with this summer, or find a way to move him in his own deal, and attempt to conjure up a big man elsewhere.
“Things can change but you’re going to have JJ back as coach and I don’t think he wants to go through another season with Deandre on the roster,” the exec said.
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