The Los Angeles Lakers ended Deandre Ayton’s tenure by trading him to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks on Friday. The marriage lasted only one year, but the franchise learned the importance of having a rim-protector around Luka Doncic. The hallmark of a title team is being top-ten in offensive and defensive rating. LA was tenth on offense and 20th on the other end as Ayton struggled mightily to anchor the defense.
The goal of the offseason was building a roster that fits around Luka. It is why they traded a massive haul for Walker Kessler and let LeBron James walk. The 7’2 big man has allowed the third-lowest field goal percentage at the rim over the last five years. He is elite in the crucial area Ayton lacked, and the Lakers put shooting around their three building blocks to further maximize Luka.
Doncic may make this new group the best offense in the NBA. For all the talk of Ayton refusing to roll to the rim, he had the highest rim field goal percentage last season. That is the Luka effect, and the Lakers quickly realized that a defensive anchor was the missing piece in being serious title contenders.
Lakers need a defensive anchor in the middle to maximize Luka Doncic
Ayton averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 27.2 minutes per game in his lone season with the purple and gold. He shot 67.1 percent from the field, but the Lakers were significantly better without him. They had a 1.1 net rating with Ayton on the floor, and a 7.1 net rating when he went to the bench. The Lakers' defensive rating without Ayton was 113.7, which would have put them 15th for the full season. Jaxson Hayes isn’t an elite rim protector either.
LA will have an elite offense with Luka, but they need the defense to be a serious championship threat. It starts with a center protecting the rim and locking down the paint. Fans shouldn't worry about the price for Kessler for this reason. He is a massive defensive upgrade who gives LA a shot at vaulting up the standings.
Ayton had an up-and-down season with the Lakers. His inconsistency was frustrating and led to moments where he was unplayable. Los Angeles couldn’t run it back. They needed an upgrade and to trade Ayton if he was unwilling to accept a reserve role. Clearly, that was the case.
When Ayton was on, the Lakers looked like a serious threat, especially if he was rebounding and preventing easy buckets at the rim. Those moments were few and far between, but they showcased the obvious need.
Luka will make any center better. Ayton scored 1.24 points per possession as a roll man last season, which was significantly better than his 1.13 in 2025. He leapfrogged 17.7 percent of the NBA's roll men to land in the top 73 percent playing off number 77. Doncic can make the offense elite, but he can’t fix the defense.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded Deandre Ayton after just one season. It wasn’t going to work with the former number one overall pick because he was not the rim protector and defender Luka Doncic needs on a title-contending roster.
The Don led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 with 48 minutes of quality center play from Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. That is what the Lakers should be searching for. They have Kessler to be the starter and need a quality backup who can lock down the paint. Ayton just proved this.
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