The Lakers did not expect to recoup draft capital when they moved Deandre Ayton this summer, Dan Woike of The Athletic reported. Citing a rival executive who spoke anonymously, Woike wrote that the draft capital brought in was a pleasant surprise for the Lakers’ front office.
The trade itself, first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, sent Ayton to Washington. In early July, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to deal Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jaden Hardy and a pair of second-round picks (2031 and 2032) shortly after Ayton exercised his 2026-27, $8.1 million player option. Ayton had signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2025 on a two-year deal after a buyout from Portland, and the deal came days after Los Angeles acquired Walker Kessler.
Woike framed the surprise around the team’s motivation. On the surface, the move was a big win for a Lakers team that was looking for outs after Ayton picked up his player option. A separate account from Jovan Buha, speaking on his podcast, held that the trade was driven less by basketball than by cap needs, with Buha saying the Lakers needed to save money and got assets back. According to Buha, Los Angeles also viewed the move as a chance for Ayton to rehab his value elsewhere.
What This Means
The takeaway is narrow but real: the Lakers valued shedding Ayton over what they could get for him, which is why any return registered as a bonus. That reframes the deal as a salary-and-fit dump the front office was prepared to eat, not an asset play. It also fits the larger offseason math. The Ayton trade was reported on July 3, two days after it was reported the Lakers traded unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Walker Kessler, who they then signed to a four-year, $130 million contract. Having spent heavily on Kessler as the center of the future, the two second-rounders were a modest recovery on picks already committed elsewhere, which is precisely why the bar for a satisfying return was low.
What’s Next
The reporting does not point to a pending decision tied to the Ayton deal itself; the trade is complete and the return is banked. The forward question is whether the second-round picks factor into a future move, which none of the reporting dates. With Kessler installed as starter and Kevon Looney behind him, Ayton’s exit is settled roster business heading into the season.
Source: Dan Woike of The Athletic
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