Sport
Deandre Ayton Says Criticism ‘Fuels Me’ After Lakers Contract, Trail Blazers Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton said that criticism of him “fuels me” as he spoke with reporters during his introductory press conference on Tuesday (h/t Khobi Price of So Cal News Group).
“It fuels me. It fuels me up completely. And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform I cannot run from. I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
The Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton’s previous team, agreed to a contract buyout with the seven-year veteran. Ayton’s old contract was set to pay him $35.6 million before becoming a free agent next summer. Now he’s on a two-year, $16.6 million contract, with a player option for 2026-27. Ayton is still set to make far more than that with the buyout money, though.
Ultimately, Ayton is getting a fresh start in Los Angeles after a rough stint in Portland. Jason Quick of The Athletic outlined some reported issues pre-buyout.
“But in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort.”
In addition, while Ayton has enjoyed a solid start to his career (16.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG), he’s also perhaps been a bit underwhelming for a No. 1 overall draft pick. He doesn’t have any All-Star Games on his resume, and he’s also rarely showcased the dominance that he could have brought to the NBA out of Arizona.
That all being said, Ayton will be 27 next season, so it’s not as if he’s a completely finished product with zero room to grow.
Ayton is also in a great spot to shine. He’ll work with a legend in LeBron James and a five-time All-NBA player in Luka Dončić, both of whom could raise Ayton’s game. The starting 5 spot is all his, and the Lakers sorely needed help down low this offseason. Now they have it, and Ayton will have a great opportunity to use the criticism that fuels him to have a breakout year.
