Lakers Summer Notes: Deandre Ayton Trade and Cameron Carr's Explosive Debut
Plus observations from Summer League and what the Lakers could do next.
After a quiet start to free agency, everything changed in the space of 30 minutes.
A flurry of four deals on Day 2, headlined by the blockbuster trade for Walker Kessler, reshaped the Lakers into what Rob Pelinka called a “retrofitted” roster built around Luka Dončić.
On Thursday, I tried to make sense of those moves, and perhaps more importantly, decipher the Lakers’ new vision. If you missed that deep dive, you can read it here.
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Wow! For Lakers fans who thought Rob Pelinka wasn’t proactive enough, Wednesday was quite the answer. The man showed he can pull off deals, and he can do it in a hurry.
But the change in direction was so significant that it will take time to fully process what it all means. As I was still contemplating everything that had happened, I almost forgot the Lakers were opening the California Classic Summer League a little earlier than most teams.
Before I knew it, the Lakers had fallen 104-72 to the Warriors. Then came another unexpected move, as the Lakers traded Deandre Ayton to the Wizards in what was essentially a salary dump that replenished some second-round draft capital, a deal that left some fans scratching their heads.
Today, I’ll share a collection of shorter observations on these latest developments.
And as we hopefully see the follow-up moves and aftereffects of the Ayton trade over the coming days, I’ll circle back and try to make sense of how it all fits into the Lakers’ new vision.
Today’s highlights:
The logic behind the Ayton trade
Where's Rui? Kuminga? A market for a backup big?
First Summer League impressions of Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero
1-The logic behind the Ayton trade
After the Lakers acquired Walker Kessler and Deandre Ayton picked up his $8.1 million player option for the upcoming season, it was easy to imagine the Lakers’ center rotation becoming one of the strengths of this new-look roster. Kessler as the defensive anchor, Ayton as one of the league’s best backup centers, and Sandro Mamukelashvili providing a change-of-pace, stretch-five option looked like a deep and versatile trio.
But in hindsight, counting on Ayton to embrace a backup role in a contract year was probably never the plan. More likely, picking up his option was part of a prearranged understanding between Ayton, his agent, and the Lakers to facilitate a follow-up move elsewhere. That move came yesterday.
The trade accomplished two things for the Lakers. On the positive side, it shed approximately $2 million in salary, turned Ayton’s contract into Jaden Hardy’s roughly $6 million expiring deal (with a team option for the 2027-28 season), and replenished some much-needed second-round draft capital. On the flip side, it created another hole to fill. Along with finding a defensive-minded wing, the Lakers are now once again in the market for a traditional backup center. Put those two things together, and it seems almost inevitable that more moves are coming.
