Paul Pierce didn’t refrain when discussing La Lakers, who signed DeAndre Ayton as the next centre.
The Los Angeles Lakers were not as active as they should have been at their free agency. In fact, it can be said that the Lakers have lost their free agency fight so badly.
On the first day of free agency, the Lakers saw three free agent targets sign the other teams. This only got worse when Dorian Finney Smith signed with the Houston Rockets.
Rob Perinka didn’t handle Finney Smith’s negotiations well, and he sacrificed a valuable player for the Lakers. To replace him, the Lakers signed Jake Laravia.
However, Deandre Ayton is expected to complete its acquisition from the Portland Trail Blazers by 5pm today.
The Indiana Pacers are also interested in Ayton, but the Lakers are their favorites for landing him. But is it a good idea to choose the former overall landing?
Paul Pierce told La Lakers that Deandre Ayton could sign as Speak’s free agent. Ayton has problems, but Pierce believes the Lakers should get him.
First of all, they were able to cut him down. And being around esteemed superstars like LeBron James and Luka Donsic may be what you need to find the right motivation to succeed.
“If that’s their only option, there’s no deal there. I think they should give it a try. You can get him a discount at this point.
“We’re engaging him in the culture with LeBron, and with Luca, he’s probably going to respect him.
“It’s possible. He’s giving you 16-10, it’s solid. He’s a threat to Rob and can block shots. The only thing they need to fix is attitude adjustment.
“I’m sure some of the vets can work with it. I think this will be a good move for the Lakers.”
Paul Pierce points out some good points about DeAndre Ayton, but we’ve seen him in similar situations in the past, and yet still haven’t adapted.
Ayton had the opportunity to play with respected All-Stars like Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant. But in the end, he had not yet grown into the role he should have.
As he moved to the Portland Trail Blazers, it seemed he had stopped taking basketball completely seriously.
He was showing flashes of glow, but mostly on a coast run during his stint in Portland.
If the Lakers land Ayton, he must put those issues behind him. When playing for his best, Ayton is enough to become a center for the championship team.
We’ve seen him play at that level while running for the Phoenix Suns’ stunning 2021 NBA Finals. The Lakers need Ayton to find that level again.