{"id":85811,"date":"2025-06-09T00:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T00:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/85811\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T00:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T00:48:13","slug":"nba-trade-rumors-los-angeles-lakers-could-bag-132929128-phoenix-suns-center-to-form-big-3-with-lebron-james-and-luka-doncic-nba-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/85811\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers could bag $132,929,128 Phoenix Suns center to form Big 3 with LeBron James and Luka Doncic | NBA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NBALuka Doncic and LeBron James via Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Lakers are always on the hunt for roster upgrades, and a potential trade involving a starting forward could bring them a high-reward big man. According to a recent analysis, swapping Rui Hachimura for former Phoenix Suns<\/a> star Deandre Ayton might be the jackpot move the Lakers need. <\/p>\n

Why Deandre Ayton Makes Sense for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>‘ search for a dominant big man isn\u2019t new, but finding the right fit is tricky. Blazer\u2019s Edge\u2019s Adrian Bernecich<\/a> suggests Ayton could be the answer. “In order to maximize (Luka) Doncic<\/a> moving forward, the Lakers need a big man who can catch lobs, hit midrange jumpers, rebound at a high level, and play at least average defense,” Bernecich wrote. “Sound like anyone we know?” (H\/t Sporting News<\/a>)Deandre Ayton, who was part of the Damian Lillard trade, has shown flashes of brilliance but struggles with consistency. Still, his skill set aligns well with the Lakers’ needs. <\/p>\n

Ayton\u2019s Strengths<\/p>\n

\"LeBron<\/p>\n

LeBron James and Luka Doncic (Image via Getty)<\/p>\n

– Strong pick-and-roll player – Effective in the high post – Reliable rebounder and rim protector – Career averages of 16.1 PPG and 10.4 RPG <\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/p>\n

– Inconsistent motor and effort – Limited three-point range – Defensive lapses at times <\/p>\n

The Proposed Trade Breakdown<\/p>\n

For the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire Deandre Ayton, they\u2019d need to package multiple players to match his $108 million contract. Here\u2019s how the deal could work: <\/p>\n

Lakers Send<\/p>\n

Trail Blazers Send<\/p>\n

Rui Hachimura ($18.2M)<\/p>\n

Deandre Ayton ($34M)<\/p>\n

Gabe Vincent ($11M) or Jarred Vanderbilt ($11M)<\/p>\n

Dalton Knecht or Shake Milton (salary filler)<\/p>\n

Bernecich explains: “Rui Hachimura is a no-brainer. With only one year left, he\u2019s a rotation forward earning $18.2 million, an amount that gets you halfway there. From here, the Lakers could add Dorian Finney-Smith, which pretty much gets you to Ayton\u2019s number. But my guess is they\u2019d prefer to keep Finney-Smith and opt for one of three $11-to $11.5 million players in Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent, or Jarred Vanderbilt.” <\/p>\n

Deandre Ayton\u2019s Potential Impact in Los Angeles<\/p>\n

Deandre Ayton\u2019s best years came with the Suns, where he played a key role in their 2021 Western Conference Finals run. That season, he averaged: – 14.4 PPG – 10.5 RPG – 1.2 BPG – 62.6% FG If he regains that form, the Lakers would add a legitimate two-way center who can: – Strengthen interior defense – Provide efficient scoring in the paint – Improve rebounding, a current weakness <\/p>\n

Risks Involved<\/p>\n

While Ayton has upside, there are concerns: – Effort and conditioning have been inconsistent – Long-term financial commitment (three years remaining) – May not fit seamlessly with Anthony Davis Trading for Ayton is a high-risk, high-reward move. If the Lakers believe they can unlock his potential, he could be the missing piece in their frontcourt. However, giving up Hachimura and additional assets is a gamble\u2014one that could either propel them into contention or backfire if Ayton\u2019s inconsistencies persist.Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Phoenix Suns could make bold move on $220,441,984 star; massive blunder or are they cooking?<\/a>As the offseason unfolds, this is a trade scenario worth watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Luka Doncic and LeBron James via Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Lakers are always on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,1586,19156,368,6,1783,2065,472,19157,4045,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-85811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-deandre-ayton","10":"tag-los-angeles-lakers-trade","11":"tag-luka-doncic","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-trade-rumors","14":"tag-phoenix","15":"tag-phoenix-suns","16":"tag-phoenix-suns-center","17":"tag-phoenixsuns","18":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114650657925001826","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}