The Los Angeles Lakers’ plans may have changed on the eve of free agency when reports came out that Deandre Ayton had negotiated a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Lakers are in desperate need of a center and have been linked to basically everyone available on both the trade and free agent markets.

While Ayton isn’t what he once was, there’s no denying that the former No. 1 overall pick can be productive for the Lakers alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Naturally, they are already being linked to the center who is expected to clear waivers and test free agency, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:

Meanwhile, Ayton now vaults to the top of the available free agent centers list entering the market, with several teams searching for a big man, including the Los Angeles Lakers, whose pursuit of a starting center is widely known.

As Scotto mentioned, Ayton is now the top free agent center available on the market coming off a season in which he averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 40 games for Portland. While pursuing Ayton may cost the Lakers the chance to sign other centers like Clint Capela and Brook Lopez, it could be a worthwhile gamble considering he could be had at a bargain after being bought out of the final year of his $35.5 million contract.

Ayton is expected to clear waivers on Wednesday, where he then can agree to a deal with a new team.

Are Lakers eligible to sign Deandre Ayton?

Yes, the Lakers are able to sign Ayton despite being a team that is above the first apron of the salary cap.

Ayton is free to sign with any team despite earning greater than $14.1 million on his Portland contract. The waiver restriction for second apron teams only applies during the regular season.

What contract can the Lakers sign Deandre Ayton for?

How much the Lakers will be able to offer Ayton depends on what other moves they make at the start of free agency. If they were to re-sign Dorian Finney-Smith to a new deal, then they would only be able to offer the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7 million to Ayton.

If the Lakers were to let Finney-Smith walk then it would open up the full mid-level exception of just over $14 million to offer the center.

With reports indicating that Ayton gave back around $14 million in his buyout agreement, it’s reasonable to think he will have full mid-level offers on the free agent market.

So with that being the case, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers being able to sign both Ayton and Finney-Smith in the coming days.

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