NBA Insider: Lakers Offseason Updates on LeBron and Ayton’s Camp Plans

2024-11-25 03:51:30

This offseason will again be nearly six months long for the Lakers faithful, given their first round playoff exit. The team earned the #3 seed in the regular season, but the Minnesota Timberwolves made short work of them. Since their exit,

LeBron James

has opted in to a $52.6 million extension, but is putting pressure on the front office to improve their roster. Adding

Deandre Ayton

is a step in the right direction.

However, there still remain some concerns over whether
LeBron James
will play the 2025-26 season in LA.
A few
reports
suggest
that James is still
weighing his options
, though he has never been traded through 22 years as a pro. The Lakers will be hoping to put together a more meaningful run with him now that a competent center is signed. Deandre Ayton, while not a top option, is more than capable of being a running mate.

Lakers reporter

Mark Medina

went on Sports Central LA to discuss how the Lakers’ dynamic changes with Deandre Ayton. According to the veteran reporter, both James and the Lakers will be better off not parting ways. He deemed Ayton to be the best choice available, but advised caution to the Lakers faithful:

Some of it was because he was the best choice available. He came at a bargain discount rate because of the buyout. And there’s a lot of scrutiny with Deandre Ayton. He underachieved with Portland, with Phoenix. I asked him last year if he felt like he had anything to prove. He said ‘I don’t have anything to prove. I’m a max player, I’ll continue to be a max player.’ That didn’t sit well with certain people. But now, he’s trying to redeem himself.

Medina also raised the questions already out there about his durability, his activity and his willingness to sacrifice even when Ayton is not the focal point of the team. Like most Los Angeles reporters, the insider is circumspect about their chances with Ayton on the roster.

What can Lakers fans expect with Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and LeBron James together next season?

We’ve seen in the past how LeBron James has been an imperious operator with an athletic big man beside him. Till his 2021 injury, the

Anthony Davis

-LeBron pairing looked likely to rule over the Western Conference with an iron fist. While Ayton isn’t nearly the player Davis is on either end of the floor, he has enough pick-and-roll potential to have both James and

Luka Doncic

salivating about next season.

However, their immediate concerns will be more on the defensive side of the ball. The Lakers were able to keep it together on that end during the regular season, cutting off lanes to the paint with help defense. However, their main point-of-attack defender in 2024-25,

Dorian Finney-Smith

, is now a Houston Rocket. To this point, the Lakers haven’t found an adequate replacement for the former Mavericks swingman.

Deandre Ayton has shown that he can anchor a top defense over a couple of seasons with the Phoenix Suns. However, he won’t have

Mikal Bridges

,

Cam Johnson

and

Jae Crowder

on the perimeter in Los Angeles. The Lakers’ top trio has two negative defenders in Doncic and Reaves. LeBron James, meanwhile, is ageing and won’t be able to exert his energy on defense if he has a heavy offensive workload.

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