Lakers are a shopping center Deandre Ayton To WizardsSources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charania says Washington will send security Jaden Hardya 2031 second-round draft pick and a 2032 second-round draft pick to Los Angeles in exchange for Ayton.
Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, signed with the Lakers last summer after being acquired by Portland and spent the 2025-26 season as the team’s No. 1 overall pick, finishing fifth, starting 72 regular-season games and all 10 of Los Angeles’ playoff games.
However, he had an up-and-down year, setting new career lows in points (12.5), rebounds (8.0) and minutes (27.2) per game in his eighth NBA season. An offensive player early in his career, Ayton struggled to adapt to the role the Lakers wanted him to play, which included a focus on setting screens, defending and rebounding.
The big man eventually accepted the role and exercised his $8.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season, but this summer the Lakers made it a priority to find a new starting center and struck a deal with Utah to acquire Walker Kessler by signing and trading a four-year contract worth $130 million.
While they could keep Ayton as Kessler’s backup, the Lakers plan to fill that spot in the free agent market, according to Charania (Twitter link), who identifies Andre Drummond, Kevon LooneyAnd Jonas Valanciunas as opportunities. Valanciunas is still under contract with Denver, but will likely be waived since only $2 million of his $10 million salary is guaranteed for the 2026-27 season.
More to come…