The Lakers officially signed Ayton! The two sides are expected to reach a middle-class contract and join forces with James Doncic to win the championship

On July 2, the NBA entered the offseason. According to reports from many reporters including Shams, Ayton, who had previously reached a buyout with the Trail Blazers, will join the Lakers and become teammates with James and Doncic.

According to previous reports, Ayton reached a buyout with the Trail Blazers, and his salary in the 2025-26 season was $35.55 million. According to reporter Jake Fischer, Ayton gave up $10 million in a buyout. Ayton then chose between multiple teams and finally chose to join the Lakers. It is reported that the Lakers' remaining middle-class contract is about 8.3 million US dollars, and the Lakers are likely to sign Ayton at this price.

In the 2024-25 season, Ayton played 40 games in the regular season, averaged 30.2 minutes per game, scored 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1 block, with a shooting percentage of 56.6%, three-point shooting percentage of 18.8%, and 66.7% free throw shooting percentage. So far, Ayton has been selected as one team of the All-A-Level Team and was selected as one Player of the Week.

For the Lakers, it is very timely to sign Ayton. It should be noted that on the first day of the free market, the Lakers' favorite goals were quickly intercepted. Among them, Lopez, the Greater one, joined the Clippers in 2 years, Capela, returned to the Rockets in 3 years, and Connett joined the Spurs in 4 years, 41 million. Therefore, for the Lakers, which urgently need to strengthen the center, being able to sign Ayton now is a thirst quenching action.

For Ayton, he also needs a new career to win back the praise. After being traded by the Suns and bought out by the Trail Blazers, his career reputation has been low to the bottom. The famous commentator Perkins said: "The rumors about Ayton are not very good. He has been labeled as 'hard players' and 'collar cancer'. If I were Ayton, I had to reflect on it and someone would tell me the truth. He just had to change the environment, the next environment, or the next team he joined. Even if it was the Lakers, he had to make changes in many aspects, otherwise he would find that his career will continue to shorten and even fade out of the league. When Ayton was fully focused, he would remain focused and integrate himself into the team. At this time, he is a very outstanding player and can get double-double data."

After joining the Lakers, Ayton will become teammates with James and Doncic. The Lakers' goal is undoubtedly the championship. Can Ayton help the team achieve its goals? Let's wait and see!