Is Deandre Ayton the Lakers' best big man option?

Yahoo

6 hours ago

Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor and Lakers reporter Jovan Buha discuss the former top overall pick's buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers and if he would be a good fit for Los Angeles. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
Is 8 your first choice for the Lakers to be their starting center next season?
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No.
No, so, well, well, among free agents, yes, I think he's the best realistic option in free agency.
Uh, I have two guys, so I, I have a center list that I put out on my YouTube channel of my top 10 centers, uh, via trade and free agency.
Ayan was 3rd on that list in tier 2 alone.
For me, uh, tier one is Nick Claxton at #1 and Daniel Gafford at #2, uh, a couple of issues there, Nick Claxton.
Just is making mid-20s, so to get to that salary, Lakers have to put realistically 3 players on the table, and then there's the matter of are they putting, uh, first in there, are they putting Dalton connect in there, are they putting both?
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Uh, so he, he's expensive to go get from Brooklyn.
And then Daniel Gafford, I just, I don't see Dallas and the Lakers making another deal, uh, right now, at least, uh, and I, I like, you know, it was interesting that he extended.
And they kept it within the trade and extend rules where he, he's still trade eligible.
And I think it's, it's even a better contract now because you don't have the uncertainty of free agency looming with him and and having to figure that out.
So he's under contract.
I think it's a team friendly deal, uh, but those guys to me, they're rim protectors, they're rim runners, they're good, uh, pick and roll partners for Luca.
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They play with a certain level of physicality and energy.
With Claxton, he's more of a, you, Fisse, uh, but he's got versatility defensively, then with Gafford, he's more of a power big, uh, but both guys are really good finishers and I think would be upgrades.
You're kind of the Jackson Hayes archetype, but, uh, at a much higher level, and there's a reason why those guys are getting paid, you know, 20+ million.
Uh, with Ayan though, I, I think, looking at his, like, I, I've did film deep dives and all these guys and his defensive film, I think is better than people often talk about.
Like I think there's some versatility there.
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Like I was watching him switch on to Giannis and I was like, he's holding his own relatively against Giannis, especially for like a 7, 7'1 center.
I shot over 80% at the rim.
He's an elite finisher.
He's got an array of hook shots, floaters.
Uh, so he, he, I, you know, he's a lob threat.
Uh, it's not really thought of that way, but it is a lob threat.
So, um, I think from like an offensive skill perspective, he's probably The best that they could do, uh, you know, can be a dribble handoff guy, he's got some passing chops, uh, they did average more turnovers than assists last season, which I think is a little bit of a concern.
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But if you could get him to buy in defensively and lock in the way he did in like 2021 and 2022 in Phoenix, we've seen, like, that team made the finals.
That team won 60 games.
So I think he can be part of a winning culture.
It's just been a few years since we've seen that from him.
I think Ayton is the no-brainer of all the choices.
Even if you have to give him the full mid-level 14.1 million to get him, I would go that route.
And, and if you could get him for just a partial, you know, like 10 million of the 14.1, and then you use the, the remaining 4.1 for Bruce Brown or or Larry Nance Jr. or somebody like that, like that's the best of Bruce Brown would be awesome.
I mean, it seems like they've wanted him since 2023.
Exactly, like it's been multiple years now of wanting Bruce Brown, so I think for the Lakers, that's the best case.