DeAndre Ayton Could Change Everything For The Los Angeles Lakers

DeAndre Ayton Could Change Everything For The Los Angeles Lakers

Enter DeAndre Aiden is expected to sign with the Lakers according to multiple reports. Former number one overall pick spent the past two seasons in Portland averaging just under 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. Take a look at what the potential starting five could look like. It does look a little different from a year ago. I know you guys have been waiting for this one for quite some time because you guys know I’m a diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan and the Lakers just made one of their most exciting yet controversial moves of all of free agency. And being realistic, this is either genius or complete chaos. DeAndre Aiden has just agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after his buyout from the Portland Trailblazers. And between the Blazers and the Lakers, he’s earning $34 million this season on what’s being reported as a 2-year deal. But the reason why this is a little concerning is this is the same dude who just got bought out because Portland couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, skipping rehab appointments, and having tantrums in the locker room when he was benched for poor effort. So, here’s the question that everyone should be asking. Are the Lakers getting a steal of a former number one overall pick who was drafted over Luca Donuch who just needs to be in the right situation? Or are they about to learn the hard way why two different franchises have already given up on this guy? Because make no mistake, what happens with DeAndre Aiden could determine whether this Lakers squad with Luca and LeBron James becomes a championship contender or another expensive experiment that blows up in spectacular fashion. So, we’re going to be diving into the pros and cons of this signing, how Aon fits in with this current Los Angeles Lakers roster, and whether Rob Pelinka just made a championship move or set up the franchise for disaster. We have been covering each and every major move of the NBA offseason. We have a video on the Knicks coming out right after this. So, if you want to make sure you’re up to date with the latest NBA news and analysis, make sure you subscribe, have your notifications on, and you follow us on Instagram X and Tik Tok. All the links to that are in the description down below. And now that we got all that out of the way, cue the intro. [Music] [Music] What’s going on everybody? I just want to remind you guys, I am a huge Laker fan, but I like to think of myself as a very realistic Lakers fan. So, we have to start with the elephant in the room, and that’s DeAndre Aiden’s work ethic. DeAndre Aiden was blessed with basketball talent. I mean, the man was literally drafted number one overall because he was supposed to be the next coming of Hakee Majouan. And honestly, that wasn’t a bizarre take at all whatsoever. The problem was DeAndre Aton’s work ethic. Now, I’m not here to pile on the guy, but we got to keep it real about what led us to this point. This whole thing traces back to his time in Phoenix when he got benched during game seven of their playoff loss to Dallas back in 2022. After that game, Aiden admitted that he hadn’t spoke to coach Monty Williams at all ever since the game.
I haven’t spoken to Mont ever since the game.
So, not even. And that’s not normal. When your coach benches you in the biggest game of the season and y’all can’t even have a normal conversation about it afterward, that tells you everything you need to know about the relationship. But it got even worse. According to sources, Aiden’s poor effort in those 2022 playoffs led to that benching. And then there was this shouting match with Monty Williams. Picture this. You’re in the middle of a playoff run. Your team needs you the most. And instead of stepping up, you’re having screaming matches with your coach. And that’s not championship DNA right there. And here’s something that really tells you about Aiden’s priorities. The guy was playing NBA 2K for 4 to 5 hours every day during the Phoenix Suns 2021 Finals run. He’s the only NBA player to reach legend status in NBA 2K, which requires hitting level 40 for four seasons. On game days during the playoffs, while other players are locked in mentally preparing, Aiden’s routine still included hours of video games. He was literally only getting 2 hours of sleep on some nights because he’d stay up until 4 or 5:00 a.m. playing video games. The dude was focused more on grinding his virtual career in an NBA video game than grinding his real life career. Then you fast forward to his time in Portland and coach Chanty Bilips thought he could instill some work ethic and humility and professionalism into Aton. Now Chanty Bup isn’t just any coach. This is a dude who won a championship, who’s dealt with difficult personalities before. If anybody could get to DeAndre Aton, you’d think it would be Chanty Bilups. But here’s what happened instead. Team sources reported tardiness to team flights and practices, skipping rehabilitation appointments and tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort. And get this, Bilips had to pull Aiden after just 2 minutes into the second half of a game against Utah, saying that I didn’t like his spirit in the game. When your coach is calling out your spirit publicly, that’s not about basketball skills anymore. That’s about your approach to the game. But through and through, DeAndre Aiden always showed his priorities to the media. Aiden once told reporters that, “I’m a Max player and I’ll continue to be a Max player.” But his actions never matched his confidence. And that right there shows you the disconnect. There’s no question that DeAndre Aiden has the talent to be a top five or a top 10 player in the NBA, but the mindset that’s always been his problem everywhere that he’s been. But his current situation could change everything. Let’s talk about what DeAndre Aiden is walking into. Because this Lakers situation is unlike anything he’s experienced before. This isn’t Phoenix trying to build a team around him as a young core piece. And this isn’t Portland in rebuilding mode where patience might exist. This is the Lakers with LeBron James in what might be his final seasons and Luca Donuch trying to establish himself as the face of the franchise after that blockbuster trade in February where the Lakers sent Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luca. But here’s where things get even more complicated. The Lakers just lost one of their key pieces, Dorian Finny Smith, who was reunited with Luca after the trade and became crucial in their small ball lineups and he just signed a 4-year $53 million deal with the Houston Rockets. That’s a massive blow because DFS was their best perimeter defender and gave them the versatility to switch on defense. You might be wondering how this is relevant. Well, when you look at the current construction of the Lakers roster, they’re banking on some really young guys to step up. Luca becomes extension eligible on August 2nd, which means they’re going to have to pay him soon. Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura are also extension eligible. So, the Lakers have some huge financial decisions coming up that could impact their flexibility even more. So, the current iteration of the Los Angeles Lakers looks like this. At point guard, they have Luca. At shooting guard, they have Austin Reeves. At small forward, they have LeBron James. At power forward, they have Rui Hachimura. And then at center, they have DeAndre Aton. On paper, this is a stacked offensive lineup. You’ve got Luca, who’s one season removed from leading the NBA in points per game. You’ve got LeBron James, who is having unprecedented seasons for a 40-year-old. But where it gets concerning is how they are defensively. and they just lost their best defensive wing player to probably their biggest competition in the west. The Lakers defense has been challenging since the Luca Donuch trade. And honestly, JJ Reic has always had his hands tied defensively. His strategy has always been to have Austin Reeves, LeBron James, and Luca Donuch sag off the perimeter and pack the paint so they’re not beat off the dribble. And that strategy worked when you had Anthony Davis as your last line of defense prior to the Luca trade. AD was a guy who could switch one through five and protect the rim. But now you’re asking DeAndre Aiden to be that anchor. And historically, Aiden has been more of a finesse offensive big man than a defensive stopper. So the brutal truth here is this starting five has three guys who are major defensive liabilities. Luca, LeBron, and Austin Reeves. And the Lakers margin for error on the defensive end is undeniably lower without AD. and their interior defense and toughness in the paint has been a consistent problem. They’re asking Aiden to not just be a rim protector, but to cover for multiple guys who struggle on that end. And the bench situation is even more concerning now that you’ve got Gabe Vincent, Dalton Connect, Jared Vanderbilt, Jake Laravia, Maxi Cleba, Jordan Goodwin, Bronnie James, Shake Milton, Autheo, and Trey Gson. Jared Vanderbilt is without a doubt your best perimeter defender when he’s healthy, but he’s coming off of injuries and hasn’t been consistent. Jake Laravia is the guy that they tried to sign to replace some of what Dorian Finny Smith brought, but he’s only 23 years old and has never played more than 23 minutes per game. Maxi Cleba gives them some veteran presence in shooting, but he’s not a primary defender. And the rest of the bench is either unproven or limited defensively. Losing Finny Smith really hurts because he was averaging nearly 29 minutes per game for the Lakers and was crucial to making their small ball lineups work. He shot 39.8% from three and was one of their most versatile defenders. Now they’re depending on guys like Jake Laravia to fill that role and that’s a massive step down in terms of proven production. And this is where the Lakers financial situation gets really interesting. I’ve criticized LeBron James for not taking a $15 million pay cut and over here it shows because the Lakers would have a complete team if he did. Bobby Marks just broke down the numbers for us and the Lakers projected salary is 190.3 million which puts them $2.5 million over the luxury tax threshold of 187.8 million but still $5.6 million under the first apron at 195.9 million. Now, the good news is the Los Angeles Lakers have new ownership who could easily pay the luxury tax. But what does this mean in practical terms? First of all, they’re definitely paying the luxury tax, but they still have some flexibility. They have access to their bi-annual exception worth 5.1 million. They have some trade exceptions at 6.5 million, 4.2 million, and $2.1 million and veteran minimum contracts. But here’s the thing, they don’t have that full mid-level exception I mentioned earlier because they’re already over the tax line. And the Lakers reportedly wanted to preserve cap flexibility for the future, primarily because they’re looking at making a run at a superstar to pair with Luca Donuch during the 2027 offseason. Now, that’s smart long-term thinking, but it leaves them limited in what they can do this season. And this is why the DeAndre Aton signing is so crucial because their options to add significant help are pretty limited financially. They’re basically banking on internal improvement and hoping that Aton can be the defensive anchor that they need. So, they’re banking on Aiden on being the solution, and if he’s not, then the Lakers are stuck. But let’s be fair, though. I know I’ve been very negative to start this video, but offensively, this could be beautiful. Aiden’s career averages of 17.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game show that he can produce. JJ Reic has praised Aiden before, calling him fantastic at punishing mismatches in the twoman pick and roll. And think about this, in Phoenix, his best years came when he was playing with elite point guards like Chris Paul. Now he’s got both Luca Donuch and LeBron James. Two of the greatest playmakers of their respective generations. Luca’s averaged 8.6 assists per game through his entire career. And LeBron’s been setting up guys for easy buckets for two decades. Aiden should get more open looks and easy scoring opportunities than he’s had since his Phoenix Finals run. This past year, Aiden had a down year, averaging 14.4 points on 56.6% shooting with 10.2 rebounds in Portland this past season. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. He was playing in a system that wasn’t really designed to maximize his strengths with young guards who were still learning how to create for others. The Lakers offense, when it’s clicking, creates mismatches all over the floor. Luca Donuch’s step back threes force defenders to play up on him, creating space in the paint. LeBron’s ability to attack the rim still commands double teams. Austin Reeves has become one of the better secondary creators in the league. All this should theoretically create easier scoring opportunities for Eightton. But here’s the million-dollar question. Does this move make the Los Angeles Lakers legitimate championship contenders? And could they compete with the teams that have retoled throughout this off season? And this is where I’m going to get very brutally honest with you guys. Let’s start with the defending champion. The Oklahoma City Thunder have just won their first NBA championship since moving to OKC. They defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games and have the best regular season record at 68-4. This is a young and hungry team that’s only going to get better. Then you’ve got the San Antonio Spurs with Victor Webbyama De’arren Fox defending rookie of the year Stfan Castle and they’re adding a number two overall pick and Dylan Harper to the mix. It’s only a matter of time before this team makes a huge jump. Then you’ve got the Denver Nuggets who just made significant moves themselves. Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 firstround pick to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson. and they also reunited with Bruce Brown, signing him to a one-year deal after he was a key part of their 2023 championship team. On top of that, they traded for Yonas Valenunis. So, they pretty much solved all of their problems in one off season. They got Joic a dependable backup center. They surrounded him with two-way players. And there’s no question in my mind that the Denver Nuggets could win a championship next year as a result. And then you have the Houston Rockets. The Rockets just traded Jaylen Green, Dylan Brooks, and the number 10 overall pick with five second round picks to Phoenix for Kevin Durant. Durant joins a Rockets team that won 52 games and made the playoffs last season with rising stars like Alparen Shenun and Amond Thompson. But here’s the kicker. They also signed Dorian Finny Smith away from the Lakers on a 4-year, $53 million deal. Then there’s the Dallas Mavericks. Sure, Anthony Davis is injuryp-prone and Kyrie Irving should be out until at least January, but they also got the number one overall pick in the NBA draft drafted Cooper Flag and signed D’Angelo Russell on a cheap contract to hold the fort while they wait for Kyrie Irving to return. But I think the team that scares me the most are the Houston Rockets. The Rockets got Kevin Durant and stole the Lakers best wing defender. Now they have a team that was already good defensively. They added a proven closer in crunch time in Kevin Durant. And they have a versatile 3 and D wing who shot a career-high 41% from three last season. That’s a team that’s built to make some serious noise in the playoffs. So, if the Lakers are trying to compete with a defending champion Thunder team that’s young and improving, a Nuggets team that just got more well-rounded around the best player in the world, and a Rockets team that added a future Hall of Famer to an already solid foundation, that’s not exactly an easy path to a championship. Now, in my opinion, this is a low-risk, potentially highreward signing because Aiden isn’t getting paid that much. If Aiden can stay healthy and stay motivated and buy into a role where he’s not the focal point offensively, then this could work beautifully. The trade makes sense from a financial perspective as well since he’ll be getting $25 million from his Portland buyout, which makes him less expensive for the Lakers. They’re essentially getting a former number one overall pick at a discount if he produces. The Lakers also have a championship level infrastructure. LeBron’s been through this before. The organization knows how to win, and sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a player needs. Maybe being around championship expectations and veteran leadership finally clicks something in Aton’s mind. But if Aiden reverts to his old habits, this could be catastrophic. The Lakers already struggle with interior defense and toughness. And if their starting center isn’t giving maximum effort, that weakness becomes even more glaring. They don’t have the depth or the financial flexibility to recover if this doesn’t work. I think this all comes down to one thing, and that’s whether DeAndre Aton truly understands that this could be his final shot to be part of something special. He’s been blessed with incredible physical tools, but talent without work ethic and professionalism doesn’t win championships. At the end of the day, the Lakers had a glaring hole at the center position, and this is a step in the right direction. And Robin is reportedly looking to trade for a backup center. Now, if he could work some magic to get the Lakers a backup center and somehow find a 3 and D wing to add to this roster, then I give the Lakers an A+ for this off seasonason, especially given the fact that LeBron didn’t take a pay cut. Now, we have a completely separate video on LeBron not taking a pay cut. I’m going to leave it on the end screen and tell you why it’s so significant. But, let me know in the comments section down below what do you guys think about this signing. Aside from that, I’m your boy Mike and I’m dropping our mic until our next upload. [Music]

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