Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton have known each other for a long time, but how does the star guard feel about the LA Lakers’ newest center?
After months of searching, the LA Lakers finally have their starting center. Last week, the Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to an $8 million contract.
The Lakers have been fairly active in free agency, replacing Dorian Finney-Smith with Ayton and Jake LaRavia in some brilliant moves.
However, not everyone is high on the move, with Bill Simmons claiming the Lakers will be a soap opera next season.
Many believe that Luka Doncic will be the biggest beneficiary of Ayton’s arrival, as he finally has the lob threat he wanted on the Lakers.
But how does the star guard feel about Deandre Ayton and his arrival? Well, it appears Luka Doncic’s strong relationship with Ayton played a part in the Lakers landing him.
Luka Doncic good friends with Deandre Ayton, his agents helped secure partnership
According to Marc Stein, Luka Doncic’s positive relationship with Deandre Ayton played a big part in the latter’s arrival at the Lakers.
The two have been friends since entering the league in 2018. And their shared agent helped broker a deal to unite the two stars.
“The prospect of the pair becoming teammates first materialized five years later when the Mavericks entered into advanced trade talks with Phoenix to acquire Ayton in conjunction with the 2023 NBA Draft.
“Yet those talks ultimately collapsed. Only now, two years on, will Ayton and Dončić officially become teammates later Sunday…
“The players share an agent — WME Sports’ head of basketball Bill Duffy — and were motivated to team up given the Lakers’ well-chronicled need for a front-line center.”
It appears Doncic and Ayton wanted to play together, and worked hard to make sure their desires were met and they could share a court. But Luka wasn’t the only Lakers member to help broker a deal.
Scott Brooks helped convince LA Lakers to sign Deandre Ayton
It appears LA Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks was a big supporter of Deandre Ayton and was vocal in his support of a move. Brooks was Ayton’s coach briefly on the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Ayton is said to have had another advocate within the Lakers’ ranks recommending that LA sign him: Former Blazers-turned-Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks.”
Clearly, Ayton has a lot of supporters within the Lakers organization. But now is where the real work begins. Getting to the Lakers is one thing, but staying there is another thing altogether.
Ayton was once one of the NBA’s brightest prospects. But in the years since, he has fallen off due to declining performance and not showing any signs of improvement.
Kendrick Perkins believes this Lakers stint is Ayton’s last chance to prove he can be a star in the NBA. It’s up to him to deliver when called upon next season.
