Report: Ayton set to join Lakers
Published
Deandre Ayton has gone Hollywood.
ESPN's Shams Charania reports the veteran big is signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bought out by the Portland Trail Blazer last week, the 28-year-old Ayton is set to earn $34 million this season between the two teams.
A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Ayton was the first overall selection of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Arizona.
He averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 40 games last season. He has spent the past two years with the Blazers after he was traded by the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and landed Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic in Phoenix in 2024.
For his career, Ayton has averaged 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in seven seasons with the Suns and Blazers.
He helped the Suns reach the NBA finals in the 2021 season.
Internationally, Ayton suited up for the Bahamas in the 2024 Paris Olympics pre-qualification tournament.