The Los Angeles Lakers kept Deandre Ayton in the starting five no matter how much the big man struggled last season, but he is now expected to come off the bench for the Washington Wizards. Ayton has started 463 of his 470 career NBA games and hasn’t come off the bench since his second season in 2020. DominAyton believes he is a starter and key contributor, but the Wizards have Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr on their roster.
Lakers fans were quickly frustrated by Ayon’s inconsistency in his lone season wearing purple and gold. He had 13 games where he went for a 20-plus point double-double, and ten others where he scored under five points. The Suns and Blazers know this well, and the Wizards will quickly find out all about it. Ayton will dominate on some nights and be virtually unplayable in others.
No matter how bad things got, head coach JJ Redick kept Ayton in the starting lineup. Even during a 16-appearance stretch where the Lakers were outscored by 67 points with the big man on the floor, they didn’t bench him. Ayton clearly wants to start, but that will change in Washington.
Deandre Ayton is the backup center on the Wizards
AD is a ten-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer. He is also playing for a new contract this season. There is no question that Davis is starting and playing significant minutes as the 33-year-old looks to land a massive contract.
The Wizards drafted Sarr with the second overall pick in 2024. The seven-footer made significant improvements in his second NBA season and has started every game of his career. Washington hopes to develop him into a building block for the next 15 years, so they aren’t starting Ayton on an expiring contract over Sarr.
None of these big men can space the floor, so Washington has shooting concerns with two of them playing together. They certainly aren’t going with a three-big-man look in the opening group. Number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa will start at small forward and is projected to be the franchise centerpiece for years to come.
Ayton is a reserve in Washington. The Lakers avoided bringing him off the bench last season, but that is clearly his role in the nation’s capital.
Deandre Ayton is playing for a new contract
Ayton accepted his $8.1 million player option this season before the Lakers traded him to Washington. There was clearly no better offer available on the open market. DA will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027 and is playing for a new contract.
Los Angeles should regret trading him if Ayton is willing to come off the bench. The Lakers need someone to back up Walker Kessler as Kevon Looney isn’t the answer. Sandro Mamukelashvili will play some center, but he can’t be used in every matchup.
Ayton will have to accept his role if he wants to get paid next summer, but it will be fascinating to see how he adapts to coming off the bench. It hasn’t happened in years, and the Lakers clearly avoided it. Jaxson Hayes played more minutes with the Lakers season on the line, but it was still Ayton in the starting five.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for two second-round draft picks and Jaden Hardy. They were ready to move on, and the Wizards clearly saw value in Ayton. His inconsistency is maddening, but DA bought into his role more down the stretch in Los Angeles.
Now, he is coming off the bench for the first time in years. It will be fascinating to see how he handles it, and fans will quickly find out if the Lakers were right to make him a no-brainer starter last season.
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