3 reasons why it’s nearly impossible to beat LA Lakers in Deandre Ayton sweepstakes

The LA Lakers are being linked to Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton, who is on the cusp of finalizing a contract buyout with his team. Ayton is expected to become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers. As one of the best traditional big men in the league, he is expected to get a lot of attention in free agency.

The LA Lakers have had a gaping hole at the center position since trading Anthony Davis in a historic deal that brought Luka Doncic to LA. The team tried to fill the hole by trading for Mark Williams, but the deal fell apart after the Charlotte Hornets center failed his physical.

The postseason exposed the Lakers' lack of depth at the center position. The Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of the Lakers’ lack of size, knocking them out of the playoffs in five games.

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Now, with Deandre Ayton set to become a free agent, LA might’ve found its next center.

3 reasons why it’s nearly impossible to beat the LA Lakers in Deandre Ayton sweepstakes

1) The Lakers can offer Ayton a competitive salary

The Lakers have the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. This is a salary cap exception that allows teams below the luxury tax threshold to sign players for more money than the minimum salary, even if they don’t have any cap space available.

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So, the Lakers can offer Ayton a competitive salary, which most cap-limited teams can’t. This gives them a key advantage, making them one of the favorites to land the former No. 1 pick.

2) Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic share the same agent

Another reason that the Lakers will be hard to beat is that Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic are both represented by the same agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports. Since Doncic is already on the roster, it could give the LA Lakers an advantage over other teams in negotiations with Ayton’s agent.

3) The Lakers can offer Ayton a bigger role than most teams

Perhaps the biggest advantage that the Lakers have in the race for Deandre Ayton is the role that they’ll be offering him. For most rosters, Ayton might end up playing a backup role, serving as a rotational piece.

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However, if he signs with LA, the former No. 1 pick will undoubtedly be starting at the five, owing to the Lakers’ lack of a playable center.

At 26, Ayton is likely to value playing time over everything else.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra