### BREAKING: Deandre Ayton Agrees to Two-Year Deal with Los Angeles Lakers After Portland Buyout – Former No. 1 Pick Joins LeBron James and Luka Dončić in Blockbuster Offseason Move
**LOS ANGELES – July 2, 2025** – In a stunning free-agency bombshell that has rocked the NBA landscape, former No. 1 overall pick **Deandre Ayton** has agreed to a two-year, $16.6 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday night. The deal includes a player option for the 2026-27 season and reunites the Bahamian center with fellow 2018 draftee Luka Dončić while pairing him alongside LeBron James in what instantly becomes one of the league’s most intriguing – and potentially dominant – frontcourt alignments.
Ayton, 26, became an unrestricted free agent earlier this week after finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers, surrendering roughly $10 million of his remaining $35.6 million salary to hit the open market. Between the buyout payout and his new Lakers deal – which pays $8.1 million in 2025-26 using the remainder of the taxpayer mid-level exception – Ayton will pocket approximately $34 million this coming season alone.
“This is the fresh start I’ve been waiting for,” Ayton told reporters in a brief statement released through his agency, WME Sports. “Playing with Luka again and learning from LeBron – it’s a dream. I’m ready to dominate the paint and win at the highest level.”
The move addresses the Lakers’ most glaring weakness following their blockbuster February trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for Dončić: interior size and rim protection. Los Angeles was eliminated in the first round last postseason by Minnesota, where Rudy Gobert feasted for 27 points and 24 rebounds in the clincher as the Lakers often played small-ball lineups without a true center.
Enter Ayton – a 7-foot, 250-pound athletic freak who has averaged a double-double (16.7 points, 10.4 rebounds) in every season of his seven-year career, the longest active streak in the NBA. Drafted first overall by Phoenix in 2018 – two spots ahead of Dončić – Ayton was a key cog in the Suns’ 2021 Finals run, posting iconic performances like his series-clinching alley-oop against the Clippers and a 22-rebound masterpiece in the Western Conference finals.
Yet his tenure in the desert soured amid reported tensions with coach Monty Williams and questions about motor and engagement. Phoenix shipped him to Portland in the three-team Damian Lillard trade in 2023, and after two underwhelming seasons in a rebuilding situation (15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds while missing significant time), the Blazers prioritized youth like Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, making Ayton’s buyout mutually beneficial.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, working alongside agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian (both of whom represent Dončić), moved swiftly. Sources say Dončić personally recruited Ayton, excited about reuniting with the big man he shared rookie-year battles with. Multiple contenders – including the Pacers (who once signed Ayton to an offer sheet Phoenix matched), Knicks, Clippers, Bucks, Cavaliers, and Nuggets – expressed interest, but Los Angeles won out with championship pedigree, star power, and a clear path to starting minutes.
“Deandre gives us the vertical spacing, rebounding, and pick-and-roll threat we’ve been missing,” head coach JJ Redick said in a statement. “His size changes everything defensively, and offensively, he’s a lob nightmare for defenses with Luka and Bron creating.”
Early projections have the Lakers vaulting up title odds boards. DraftKings moved Los Angeles from +950 to +850 to win the West immediately after the news broke, trailing only Boston and Denver. The starting lineup of Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura (or a potential trade addition), LeBron at the four, and Ayton at center looks formidable on paper – elite playmaking, spacing, and now interior dominance.
Ayton slides into a roster already bolstered by LeBron exercising his $52.6 million player option and the team retaining key role players like Reaves and Hachimura. The Lakers still have pieces to maneuver, potentially packaging future picks or young assets for another wing defender, but adding a 26-year-old former No. 1 pick at a discount feels like highway robbery.
Reaction poured in instantly across social media:
– **Luka Dončić** (via X): “Welcome big bro @DeandreAyton 💜💛 Let’s eat!! #MFFL no more 😈”
– **LeBron James**: “Purple & Gold just got stronger. Let’s work DA!! 👑”
– **Kevin Durant** (Ayton’s former Suns teammate): “Happy for my guy. DA about to show out in LA 🔥”
– **Damian Lillard**: “Congrats DA. Go get one 🍾”
Critics, however, point to Ayton’s inconsistent effort and defensive lapses in Portland, wondering if the bright Hollywood lights will amplify old issues. One Western Conference executive anonymously told ESPN: “I imagine Deandre’s going to be a problem. He’s just not smart enough of a player sometimes, and the inconsistent effort – LeBron usually has issues with that.”
But supporters counter with his age, athleticism, and proven playoff pedigree. In the 2021 postseason, Ayton averaged 15.8 points on 65.8% shooting and 11.8 rebounds, holding his own against giants like Nikola Jokić and Anthony Davis.
For Portland, the buyout clears the deck for their youth movement while saving long-term money. GM Joe Cronin thanked Ayton for his contributions: “DA brought professionalism and rebounding every night. We wish him nothing but success – except when he plays us.”
As free agency frenzy continues – with names like Brook Lopez (to the Clippers) and Myles Turner (shockingly to Milwaukee after a reported Damian Lillard waiver) already off the board – the Lakers have stolen headlines and perhaps the summer.
Deandre Ayton to the Lakers. A new chapter for a player long labeled enigmatic. In Purple & Gold, alongside two generational talents, the former top pick has his best shot yet at silencing doubters and chasing the ring that has eluded him.
The NBA just got a lot more interesting.
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