The Los Angeles Lakers may face a pivotal decision at center when NBA free agency opens this summer, with Deandre Ayton considered one of the league’s most likely players to test the market, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
Pincus lists Ayton, who has an $8.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season, among the top potential “flight risks.” The 25-year-old big man can either opt in and remain in Los Angeles or decline the option to seek a larger contract elsewhere.
The report notes that Ayton could also forgo free agency entirely by declining the option and negotiating a new deal with the Lakers, who hold his Bird rights and therefore can exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.
Possible outside bidders include the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, Pincus writes. Atlanta already features Onyeka Okongwu but could pursue added frontcourt size, while Chicago is projected to have cap room and currently has no centers under contract for next season.
Ayton averaged a double-double this year and provided the Lakers with steady rim protection and rebounding. Despite ongoing criticism, few available centers combine his scoring, rebounding and mobility.
The Lakers, still weighing offseason decisions involving LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, must now determine whether keeping Ayton—or replacing him—best positions the roster for 2024-25.
Source: Hoops Wire
