Deandre Ayton will be calling Los Angeles home.
Ayton agreed to a deal with the Lakers after he cleared waivers on Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple reports.
He’ll earn a total of $34 million next season between the Lakers and Trail Blazers after Portland bought him out, according to ESPN.
The Lakers had been one of several teams that were eyeing the former Trail Blazers big man and the organization was widely expected to be his top landing spot once he became a free agent.
The Pacers had been reported as another potential suitor for Ayton and he had previously signed a four-year, $133 million max offer sheet in 2022.
Ayton became a free agent after the Trail Blazers opted to buy out his contract on Sunday night following a season in which he averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks while shooting 56.6 percent from the field.
The big man had $35.6 million left on his contract, which would have expired next summer, and he had ended up in Portland as part of the three-way Damian Lillard trade in 2023.
While it seemed like the writing was on the wall due to the crowded field the Trail Blazers had at center, which included drafting Yang Hansen in this year’s draft, but there had been behavioral issues, according to a report from The Athletic.
The Blazers reportedly didn’t want to deal with his “bad ways” following several issues behind the scenes that included being late for team flights and practices and apparent “tantrums” inside the locker room after bad performances.
Ayton has played seven seasons in the NBA and has averaged 16.4 points per game during his career and 10.5 rebounds.
The Lakers needed to address the center position in the open market and two players they had been linked to early on – Brook Lopez and Clint Capela – quickly came off the board once free agency began.
