The pressure of playing under the bright lights in Los Angeles never lets up for anyone, even for former No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks.
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ 119-109 opening-night defeat at the hands of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night exposed plenty of flaws within their rotation.
Los Angeles’ newly-minted starting center Deandre Ayton, for example, was not safe from endless criticism after the deflating loss in his first regular season outing with the team.
In fact, FanSided’s Jason Reed even ventured to suggest that the ex-Phoenix Suns big man might not make it past the first season of his two-year, $16.2 million contract he signed with the franchise this summer.
“Ayton signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that includes a player option for the second year,” Reed wrote Thursday afternoon.
“Theoretically, Ayton controls his own destiny in that regard next offseason.”
“However, given the polarizing nature of his game and how his first season with the Lakers will likely go, it’s safe to assume the Lakers may be in a position to ship that contract away by the time next summer rolls around.”
“So while he technically is under contract next season, it feels safe to say in October 2025 that this will be Ayton’s lone season-opener with the Lakers.”
After just one game, the 8-year veteran center has already drawn the ire of Lakers fans and media members alike.
In nearly 34 minutes of work against the Warriors, Ayton finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four turnovers, registering a -4 plus-minus in the double-digit loss.
Ayton’s lack of chemistry with the Lakers’ 26-year-old play-making phenom Luka Dončić was immediately called out by plenty in the NBA world, though the issue could simply be attributed to a lack of experience on the floor together.
The same can be said for his inability to connect with the Lakers’ secondary initiator Austin Reaves in the pick-and-roll, but the mobile center still has plenty of time to learn how both skilled passers operate before potentially landing on the trade block in the summer of 2026.
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