The Lakers Deandre Ayton Plan Is Insane

The Lakers Deandre Ayton Plan Is Insane

After being bounced from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the mood in LA turned desperate. Even LeBron James was practically shouting from the mountain tops, “Get us a big man.” The Lakers front court was exposed and everybody knew it. When asked about the issue post series, LeBron offered a rare retreat, saying, “No comment. I never say that, but my guy Anthony Davis said what he needed to say and was gone the following week. I got no comment. I put that uniform on every night, give everything I have, and that’s all that matters. The message came wrapped in a light jab, but the message was loud and clear. The Lakers had a glaring goal, and LeBron James wasn’t about to keep covering it up. The clock was ticking in LA, and LA needed to fix its problem fast. But before we continue, if you are enjoying the content, then be sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications as it doesn’t cost anything and it helps the channel out a ton. Post Luca trade, the Lakers did try to get a big acquiring Mark Williams from Charlotte. And then Mark Williams stocks were selling faster than Crispy Cream Donuts when the hot sign is on. Mark Williams was seen as both an immediate and potential long-term solution for the Lakers at the time. At this time, the Lakers had terrifying big man woes. This team had just got Luca Donuch, so no complaints, though. But it did go from having Anthony Davis to not having Anthony Davis also. And that was a big deal, especially when even Anthony Davis was asking for more help. But the Lakers front office would soon be hit with a wave of buyer remorse. Not because Mark Williams didn’t fit their needs, but because he supposedly failed his physical. Mark Williams said that I didn’t think that I had failed my physical. The night that I got traded, I’ve played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible. The whole thing smelled off. But regardless of how fishy it felt, the damage was already done. The Lakers had already pulled the plug on that operation. And just like that, LA marched into the playoffs stripped of their reinforcements. Armed with one of the most underwhelming front courts in recent memory, they had Alex Lynn, Jackson Hayes, and Hope. A front court like that isn’t scaring some Sunday league teams, let alone professional NBA ones. During this series, I remember posting this post. Rudy, go Bear Legacy game. I’m freaking crying. The Lakers should have just signed the tallest fan in the parking lot before this game. We honestly can’t say that them doing this would have made them any worse, but fans were divided over this rotation. Some rolling their eyes at another questionable roster, while others shrugged and thought, “Hey, at least we landed Luca freaking Donuch. We can’t be that mad.” Either way, everyone knew that the Lakers had plenty to address this off season. But aside from picking up Laravia and maneuvering to bring in perhaps the draft’s most explosive prospect, the Lakers had gone noticeably quiet despite picking up an owner with super fat pockets. You hear that? That was the sound of the Lakers off season. The Rockets scooped up Kevin Durant. The Magic locked down Desmond Bang. Even the Cavs, they managed to bring in Lonzo Ball. Meanwhile, the Lakers quietly stood on the sidelines, pockets turned inside out, watching everyone else hit the jackpot. In fact, it felt more like the Lakers were getting their pockets picked. They’d given up three second rounders and Dao last season to land Dory and Finny Smith only for DFS to get swiped out from right under them by the Rockets who continue to have a jaw-dropping off season. They had even started missing out on starting caliber centers like Brook Lopez, who was apparently scared off by the uncertainty surrounding LeBron’s contract. After a crazy chain of events, which I covered in depth in my previous Aon video, the Trailblazers finally pulled the plug on Aton’s enormous contract, leaving Pelinka with the golden opportunity to fall forward yet again. So, so I also think it’s important to note here, of course, you’re totally right. The Lakers had very keen interest in Brook Lopez. Once he came off the board, they are shifting towards an idea. I’m told the thesis is youth and athleticism. And so, obviously, DeAndre would fit that. Some of that thinking is look at the two teams that played in the NBA finals, the Oklahoma City Theater, who are in the Western Conference, the Lakers have to contend with, and the Indiana Pacers. switchable young defenders about multiple bodies coming at you in waves and they are trying to achieve a center that can play that way. The Lakers had their sight set on youth and athleticism and Dayton’s surprise entrance into free agency handed them an exciting package with explosive upside at a thrift store price. The Lakers would get A Dayton at just $8.1 million for the 2526 season. The deal includes a player option for next year. So, in total, it’s a 2-year deal where it’s projected for around $16.6 million. Now, before everyone, including myself, says that I can’t believe that he took this massive pay cut to be with the Lakers, he’s still earning around 33 to $34 million next season. It’s not like he took some massive pay cut. It’s more like the Lakers got a massive steal for nothing. YaKob Purle just got a 4-year $14 million extension. And here Aiden is playing for the Lakers for just $8.1 million next season. The low dollar figure on his contract relative to his upside makes his contract sort of a no-brainer for the Lakers who really needed something to get them started. This Aiden signing gives me flashbacks of Russell Westbrook. Lakers fans, relax. I’m not talking about when he came to Los Angeles. I’m talking about when he signed with the Nuggets. My take with Russ was very simple. If Russ had even the slightest impact in Denver, then the deal would be an absolute steal for the Nuggets. And that’s exactly how I see this move. It’s a lowrisk gamble with upside. But it is kind of sad that it has taken this move to really get some optimism going behind your off season. That’s how far the standards for the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen. You’re the Los Angeles Lakers armed with a prime Luca Donuch. And yet moves like this are met with relief instead of excitement in some cases. Pelinka, this isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of your GM skills. Where is Le GM when you need him? But Aidan finds himself in basketball paradise alongside Luca Donuch, a magician who is always going to get the best out of what’s on the floor. We’ve watched Luca elevate Jackson Hayes into shades of Derek Lively and the Lively into glimpses of a perennial all-star. Just picture the magic that Donic could produce if Aidan arrives ready to feast and not on the same nonsense that brought him into this predicament in the first place. In LA, the stakes aren’t just high. They’re taller than Yao Ming. This kind of pressure has shattered even Hall of Famers. Good steal by Russell Westbrook. Russ all the way. Russ does not throw it down. Wanted a highlight. Fires it and then he has the rim block the dunk attempt. Kobe Bryant once warned us that only special players can stomach the intensity of wearing a Lakers jersey. I’m hoping that DA can be that sort of special that the Lakers are looking for because if not, they are going to eat this man alive. What do you guys think that JJ Reic is going to do if he sees DeAndre Aton giving this kind of effort on a rebound? Not only did Aton abandon that rebound like a cat fleeing water, he didn’t even bother to pretend that he was trying. You might ask yourself, who cares? It was just the preeason. No, this was game one of the Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets. A stage where every single possession is magnified. Can you imagine JJ Reic’s reaction here? This is the same guy who was ready to hit orbit when D’Angelo Russell was having a rough stretch in a regular season game. If he sees Aton pulling something like this, security might have to escort JJ out of the building. Dwight Howard should reach out to Aiden. Much like what has transpired around Aan lately, Dwight had similar occur at one point in his career. During his first stint in Los Angeles, everything was going wrong. We had chemistry problems, injury problems, and effort problems. There were a ton of issues with Dwight’s first goaround with the Lakers, but his second goaround, Dwight went about things the right way. He played hard, embraced his role, and everything that came with playing in Los Angeles. He didn’t take the chance that he got for granted, and in return, he was one of the most important pieces to their championship run in the NBA bubble. If Aton fully embraces this moment, he could deliver an impact that eclipses even Dwight Howard’s bubble championship run. But he needs to understand exactly what kind of beast that he’s about to face in LA. If he comes ready to grind, we could witness gritty performances reminiscent of that dominant 25 and 20 master class that he delivered against his old team, the Phoenix Suns. Before that calf strain took him out and ended his season this past season. He had some big games with the Portland Trailblazers. From where I’m sitting, it feels like Aton hears all of this chatter and that he might just be ready to answer the call. It’s no accident that he saved some of his best performances of the season for battles against his former squad. And look, even if things somehow implode, the Lakers still come out of this situation looking like lottery winners. Eightton at his absolute worst is still a gracious finisher with a buttery soft touch. He has freak athleticism and an absurd 76 wingspan. On his most uninspired days, he still cleans the glass harder and brings more to the table than Jackson Hayes, a guy that JJ Reic wouldn’t even trust to hold his water bottle come playoff time. JJ was actually speaking highly and defending DA on ESPN before he was even a Laker. You guys have to see this clip. And and Aidton’s fantastic. He’s okay. Well, okay. Okay, that’s fine. He’s fantastic at punishing mismatches in the twoman pick and roll with him and CP. They’re the number one offensive doer in among high volume pick and roll players. So he is fantastic. He’s going to be fantastic. 82 years old. CP is going to have that with any rolling big. So that’s not okay. He had it with DeAndre DeAndre George. DeAndre Jordan fantastic. I’m talking about the last two years, you go back six NBA seasons, that was the best duo. So anybody that Chris Paul has played with, that was the best duo in the pick and roll. Okay. Just DeAndre. So he is fantastic. So, he sort of made that clip all about Chris, but there was still some Aidan praised in there from JJ, so I thought it’d be fun to include. The potential between Aan and Luca is massive. Hopefully. Hopefully, this doesn’t turn into another Drummond style meltdown. You guys remember back in late March 2021 when Andre Drummond got a historic buyout from Cleveland? After being promised a starting job, he signed with the Lakers for the Bets minimum and practically flopped in LA. After averaging 11.9 points and 10.2 boards over 21 games, he was benched in a do or die game six for the first round of the playoffs. He essentially vanished when it mattered the most. They handed Andre Drummond that starting spot over Mark Gasol like it was written in stone. And boy did that experiment blow up in their faces. The Lakers clung desperately to their promise, even as things spiraled out of control, but eventually reality became unavoidable. I don’t know exactly what sweet talk or promises Rob Pelanka and the Lakers gave DeAndre Aton, but trust me, there’s something there going on behind the scenes. Think about it. Luca and Aton share the same agency. And the Lakers somehow leapfrogged a Pacers team that was practically rolling out the red carpet for Aton just a couple of years ago. Indiana wanted Aton so badly in 2022 that they put a Max offer sheet right in front of him. Now, after losing Miles Turner to the Bucks and suffering the devastating blow of Tyrese Hallebertton’s Achilles injury in the playoffs, the Pacers were set up perfectly to offer Aiden exactly what he’s always craved. big numbers, low pressure, and a system practically tailor made for his style alongside an elite playmaker. Hallebertton is going to be out a while, and he’s not quite Luca when it comes to playmaking. But that doesn’t change the fact that Hallebertton is one of the best playmakers in the entire league. Aton could have entered a very low pressure situation in Indiana. Yet, here he is in LA choosing bright lights and winning over comfort. Also, look at the wording here that Chris Haynes uses to emphasize the signing of DA. The Lakers have the number one pick and the number three pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Significant building blocks for now and the future. I’m just sitting here like one of these things is not like the other. I have to throw the he trying to gas it up meme on the screen because I’m very optimistic for Aen too. But what Hayne said is a very bold thing to say about somebody who just cleared waiverss. First of all, Luca is my guy. I love what he’s doing. He better not stop what he’s doing. And you know me, um, I really don’t focus on another man at success. I try to do my own thing as well. He’s being great. I’m going try to be great as well. And you know me, I want the best for everybody in this class. I want this to be the best draft class of all time. I want everybody just to really experience the league and, you know, just try to figure it figure it out in their own way and be successful. So, yeah, I’m not really I mean, Luke is doing his thing. It’s not like you can be blind by what he’s not what he’s doing on the court. He’s amazing and, you know, he’s making he’s making history, uh, breaking history and just, you know, being great. And I just got to do the same thing. That’s a throwback clip that I thought that you guys might appreciate, but get ready because this DeAndre Aiden and Luca duo might just be fun. Look at me now. I’m trying to gas it up. In the comments below, let me know what you guys think about DeAndre Aiden going to Los Angeles. Do you think that he’s a significant building block for the future or do you think that people are going to start calling him a bust yet again? Anyways, there’s some more going on in the basketball world that we have to be covering. So, clicking one of the videos on the screen right now is a great way to support this channel. I’m get like Coupe, bringing you guys the scoop until our next upload. [Music]

The Lakers will forever be the funniest team in basketball.

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