Deandre Ayton to the Lakers 🚨 ‘A good start’ for L.A.! – Bobby Marks | SportsCenter

Deandre Ayton to the Lakers 🚨 ‘A good start’ for L.A.! – Bobby Marks | SportsCenter

But first, we’ve got breaking news. And here comes the man that always brings us that breaking news in the NBA. That’s our NBA insider Sham Shirania. Give it to us. What you got?
Well, free agent center DeAndre Aiden has reached agreement on a two-year deal to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. So, Lakers have found their big man, their center, after two days into free agency. And now they have the number one and number three pick from the 2018 NBA draft with DeAndre Aiden and Luca Dantage. I’m told the Knicks, Clippers, Bucks, Pacers, Cavs, and Nuggets all had interest in Aton before his decision to sign with the Lakers. Multiple teams also reached out to Portland Trailblazers general manager Joe Cronin after the buyout of Aton on Sunday. And I’m told they all got rave reviews of him as a teammate. But listen, the pressure now is on in Los Angeles to build a winner, a contender around Luca Donuch and LeBron James. They’ve needed a center. Rob Pelinka, their president of uh basketball operations. He’s spoken since the end of last season. We need to find a starting center, someone that can serve as a lob threat for Luca Donuch. Two days into free agency. Rob Pelinka, DeAndre Aiden’s agents reached an agreement on a two-year deal with a player option for the big man to be in LA.
Bit of an injury plague season for Aiden. Last year in Portland, he was limited to just 40 games, but he did shoot 56% from the field in the games that he played. Now, El Duncan back with you on Sports Center with more on our breaking news just this hour. Sham Shirania reporting that former number one overall pick DeAndre Aton cleared waiverss and agreed to a deal with the Lakers two years with a player option. He negotiated a buyout with the Blazers because he said he wanted to play for a winner and there was apparently some stiff competition to get him, but at last he’s in Hollywood. And here is what a potential lineup could look like for the Lakers with Aton sliding into that starting center role. He does of course add a muchneeded size to a Lakers team that ranked in the bottom third of the league in rebounding percentage last season. Let’s bring in our front office insider Bobby Marks for much more on this and to break it down. Let’s talk about it. How you like the fit Aton with the Lakers.
Yeah, I mean considering where they were about 10 hours ago, it’s certainly an improvement here. I mean we had Jared Vanderbilt as our starting center and and no offense to Jared Vanderbilt, but he’s better served coming off the bench. Aton was the best available center that was left in the free agent market. Certainly coming off that buyout here. I think 82% of his shots or field goal percentage at the at the rim last year. I think the one concern for me l is not really a paint presence as far as block and shots less than one last year in in Portland here. But certainly fills a need something the Lakers needed. Um there’s still some work to do for especially for that bench. They need some perimeter shooting, but it’s a good start for an off seasonason that started off a little bit slow here.
Yeah, a good start. I would say the oddsmakers are not overwhelmed by the moves because their odds, the Lakers to win the Western Conference moved from plus 1,000 to plus 900 with the eighton acquisition. Let’s go over to Milwaukee because we know they’ve lost two of their key pieces. Damen Lillard, Brook Lopez are both gone. They did land Miles Turner, but one anonymous exec told ESPN this move is quote reckless. What are your thoughts on the offseason that they’re having?
I don’t know if I’d go reckless. I’d say probably more desperate. I mean, I think when you look at where Milwaukee was, and listen, they they took the D the Damen Lillard money and they stretched it out over five years, it’s basically, Al, if I gave you a credit card and said you had 0% interest on it, but you had to pay 40% in years two to five when when you start paying something, that’s where the cost is going to hit Milwaukee here is that it’s not about the future, it’s about the now for Milwaukee. When you add Miles Turner to this roster in in Milwaukee, they’ll figure it out. the dead cap hit down the road here, but it’s something they had to do. They didn’t have many options at all when you look at their roster and the lack of draft equity here. That was really their lone big move was to take that littleer money, stretch it out and and going out and get a player like Miles Turner.
If you gave me a credit card with no limit, by the way, and then said I would have to pay 40% of taxes before that hit, I would probably get a new social security and go into witness protection. Bobby Marx, thank you so much for your insight here. said what I look like. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

After Shams Charania breaks the news, Bobby Marks joins SportsCenter to react to the Los Angeles Lakers and Deandre Ayton agreeing to a 2-year deal.

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