Shams: Lakers send Deandre Ayton to Wizards

The Lakers will received Hardy and two future second-rounders in exchange for Deandre Ayton. The former second-round pick was sent to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis trade last season after spending the first few years of his career in Dallas. He can provide instant offense at times, but he likely won’t be a big part of the Lakers’ rotation next season.

Given Ayton’s inconsistent play in his first season with the Lakers, it’s unsurprising that he would look to lock in $8.1 million for the 2026-27 campaign. In 72 games, the 7-footer averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 27.2 minutes. While Ayton started every game he played, there were times when he lost minutes to Jaxson Hayes. Between the inconsistent rebounding and rim protection and his awkward fit with the Lakers’ star ball-handlers in the two-man game, Ayton may not have commanded a similar payday had he gone into free agency. One of the Lakers’ remaining goals this offseason is to upgrade the center position, so Ayton may either be a backup or ultimately be moved elsewhere.

While he did not offer much production as a scorer, Ayton more than held his own on the glass in Game 6. The Lakers center grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of the final three games of the series, totaling 33 in Games 5 and 6. While the Lakers will need more offense from Ayton in the second round against Oklahoma City, at a minimum, he’ll need to be dominant on the glass for them to have any chance of pulling off what would be a major upset.

Ejected from Game 4 just over halfway through the third quarter, Ayton was around for the entirety of Game 5. And he lived up to the “DominAyton” nickname on the glass, grabbing ten offensive rebounds and 17 overall. Add in a good night of shooting the basketball, and the 7-footer finished with his third double-double of the series. Ayton and the Lakers will look to end the series on Friday in Houston, as they look to avoid having to play a Game 7 after winning the first three games.

Ayton was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for a forearm that he delivered to the head of Rockets center Alperen Şengün. The Lakers center played 25 minutes, finishing with 19 points (9-of-12 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), 10 rebounds and one blocked shot. Ayton’s early exit, the first of his NBA career, means more playing time for Jaxson Hayes.

No Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves means that there is more room for Ayton to step up offensively, and he played well in Saturday’s series opener. The 7-footer recorded a double-double on 80 percent shooting from the field while also leading the Lakers in rebounds. When Ayton is engaged early on, he’s usually fine for the rest of the night, which was the case in Game 1. The Lakers will need more of that from him if they’re to have a chance of winning the series.

It has been an up-and-down first year with the Lakers for Ayton, but he ended the regular season on a high note. This was his first 20-point double-double in a month, and he was also able to make an impact as a shot blocker. The health of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are the two biggest questions for the Lakers right now, but Ayton will also be a big factor for them. He’ll be matched up with Alperen Sengun in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday.

Ayton bounced back from a lackluster three-point performance on Tuesday to reach the 20-point mark on Thursday for the first time since March 12 against the Bulls. He hardly missed shots and did the majority of his damage in the paint. The former first-overall pick didn’t contribute in many other statistical categories, but his scoring production against the Warriors was important, as the Lakers gear up for the playoffs.

Hardy did not play in Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls, which factored into Sharife Cooper playing 27 minutes off the bench. Cooper should take on a similar workload in Thursday’s rematch.

Even with Hardy unavailable for Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls, the Wizards had enough available players to roll out a nine-man rotation. If he can play in Thursday’s rematch, Hardy should get minutes off the bench, especially with Bilal Coulibaly listed as questionable.