The Los Angeles Lakers are one loss away from the end of their postseason run, which means they are also one defeat shy of an opportunity to reset the roster around superstar Luka Doncic.
What that means for LeBron James is difficult to say, though Austin Reaves is likely to sign somewhere close to a maximum contract extension this summer to remain Doncic’s backcourt sidekick. Aside from the potential that James exits the organization, most of the real change in L.A. is likely to happen in supporting roles around Doncic and Reaves.
The Dallas Mavericks teams that Doncic led to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals were similarly constructed with a secondary ball-handler/scorer in the No. 2 role (Jalen Brunson and then Kyrie Irving, which Reaves will presumably fill in Los Angeles) and then 3-and-D wings complemented by rim-running/rim-protecting big men trending toward the more athletic side.
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN doesn’t see DeAndre Ayton as a fit in that center role for the Lakers moving forward, which he stated emphatically on Monday May 11 when advising the team to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick whenever its playoff run ends.
“If you’re the Lakers, you almost have to get him out of your locker room, just because of the effect that he will have on the other guys because of this flagrant lack of urgency that he plays with,” Smith said on “First Take” Monday.
DeAndre Ayton Holds Player Option Next Season
GettyDeandre Ayton of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers don’t have ultimate optionality with Ayton this offseason. He is on a two-year deal worth $16.2 million and holds a player option for 2026-27, which means it’s up to him if he wants to head back to free agency.
Ayton has career averages of 15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, and he will play next year at just 28 years old. Thus, there will presumably be a market for him if he decides to forego the $8-plus million on his deal in Los Angeles next season.
Should Ayton decide to remain with the Lakers, there are feasible pathways to trading him ahead of next year’s deadline. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is going to reconfigure and rebuild the roster mostly through free agency after clearing James’ $52.6 million salary off the books.
Reaves will get the bulk of that if he re-ups with the team, but Ayton’s $8 million, while certainly advantageous for the Lakers should they decide to go another way, isn’t necessarily vital to the team’s ability to retool in the coming months.
Reaves can ink a five-year contract worth $241 million this summer, just over $48 million annually, though the majority of projections have him coming in at around $40 million per season on a five-year agreement.
DeAndre Ayton Less Effective for Lakers Against Thunder Than Rockets
GettyDeandre Ayton of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ayton averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks for Los Angeles in his first season with the team, playing in and starting 72 of 82 games. He was also a meaningful contributor to the Lakers’ victory over the Houston Rockets in Round 1, putting up nearly 12 points and 11 rebounds per night across the six-game series.
However, Ayton has been less effective against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 2. He has played 26 minutes per game, down five minutes from his Round 1 average, and tallied 7.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.
Los Angeles lost the first three games of the series by just shy of 20 points per contest. The Lakers host the Thunder for an elimination Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night, which airs on Prime Video at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.
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