The Los Angeles Lakers did accomplish the task of getting Luka Doncic a starting center for the 2025-26 NBA season. Is Deandre Ayton a long-term match? That much remains unclear. Can the Lakers do better? That much is obvious, and the answer is yes.
Ayton is fine. The former Portland Trail Blazers center is certainly an upgrade over what the Lakers were dealing with last season. The new starting big man in Los Angeles averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 30.2 minutes per game during 40 appearances for the Blazers in 2024-25.
There may be some optimism Ayton can fully turn the corner in Los Angeles. However, that wishful thought would still come with caution. It would be negligent to just outright ignore the series of events that brought Ayton to his third team in what is soon to be eight seasons in the NBA.
What the Lakers do not want is to pass up the opportunity of jumping at a more permanent and reliable fix, if the opportunity is there. One team they will want to closely watch for this is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cavaliers have perfect solution to Lakers' frontcourt problems
The Cavaliers are poised to be one of the biggest threats in the Eastern Conference for the 2025-26 NBA season. However, that does not mean things are all set in stone and poised to go off without any challenges.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are as formidable of a frontcourt duo that a team could ask for. The main problem is the sizable overlap in what both players can and do offer the Cavaliers on the court.
Mobley would be the player that should take all priority for the Cavaliers. The growth and development of the rising star will be directly connected to the success that can be enjoyed in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
The problems start to arise when considering that Mobley is being somewhat blocked by Allen from unlocking everything he could be at the five spot. There is certainly risk of Mobley's growth being dampened by not allowing him ample playing time in that role.
If the Cavaliers get to a point in 2025-26 with the team's success being short of what was expected, instead of trying to navigate a complicated minutes distribution between the two, Cleveland can pull the plug altogether. The Lakers should be willing recipients of Allen in that case.
The former All-Star center is set to earn $20 million in 2025-26, before his new extension kicks in and boosts that number a bit higher. It would be the perfect opportunity to strike for Rob Pelinka.
ESPN recently identified the Lakers as a team who should be anticipated to make a big move before the NBA trade deadline. A deal of this nature would certainly fill the description. Doncic would get his rim-running defensive anchor that fits his playing style perfectly in the process.