“I Want to Win Right Now”: Deandre Ayton Embraces Fit with Luka Dončić and LeBron James on Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton spoke to reporters Tuesday for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, officially beginning his new chapter alongside Luka Dončić and LeBron James.

Ayton, who will wear No. 5 in Los Angeles, signed a two-year deal after reaching a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers. He joins a Lakers team that finished as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season but was eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Dončić, taken two picks later, has shared the spotlight with Ayton since entering the league, and now, the two will share a locker room. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Dončić and Ayton “were motivated” to team up in Los Angeles, a move that reunites them under the same agent, Bill Duffy.

“I want to say first, thanks to the Portland Trail Blazers,” Ayton said. “It wasn’t tough making this decision, but just taking my time and embracing being a free agent, and just learning how this thing works properly. The teams that me and my agents evaluated during that time span, I felt that Lakers was the best fit, being around the two best playmakers in the league and just, you know, Laker Nation. Just having a fan base that’s behind them is insane. I’ve never seen [anything] like it before.”

Ayton added: “Just to be a part of it, knowing the winning legacy that this organization has, I know the expectations and I know that winning means a lot here.”

Lakers head coach JJ Redick is expected to start Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, James, and Ayton next season. All five players have appeared in an NBA Finals. James, a four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP, remains the anchor of a roster that blends playoff experience with renewed frontcourt depth.

The frontcourt became a pressure point for the Lakers during last season’s first-round series against Minnesota. In the second half of Game 4 and throughout Game 5, Redick played without a traditional center as Jaxson Hayes struggled to match up with Timberwolves bigs Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid. Ayton fills that void as a mobile, scoring-capable big with rebounding presence.

Ayton, who turns 27 on July 23, averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 29.6 minutes per game last season with Portland, shooting 56.6% from the field. He posted career highs in field goal percentage and offensive rebound rate in his lone season with the Trail Blazers.

An Arizona product, Ayton holds career averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 398 career games with Phoenix and Portland. He played a key role in the Suns’ 2021 run to the NBA Finals, and he’s looking to rediscover that form in Los Angeles.

Ayton expressed excitement about joining a contender and playing with two of the league’s best offensive minds.

“They want to win a championship right now and, you know, I want to win right now,” Ayton said. “I want to just be a part of a winning legacy and just be around winners.”

“Luka is a once-in-a-generation player and I’m happy to be his teammate,” he added. “Hearing about the kind of shape he’s been in, he’s super ripped, and I’m finally glad to be on his side.”

Ayton believes playing with Dončić and James will elevate his game and allow him to return to the high-impact role he once had during Phoenix’s Finals run.

“They both average about nine assists over their career span, and just the type of players they create with their teammates,” Ayton said. “They turn them into superstars, they make them bigger than their roles, they make them very important on the floor. Just seeing that and finally getting the chance to go in and experience that would be big for me. Just getting me back to my full form of how I used to play, you know, coming up and being a part of the [NBA] Finals. It’s those playmakers I’m used to having around me that’s leading to wins.”

Ayton made it clear that he isn’t joining the Lakers to dominate touches; he’s here to fill a role and help Los Angeles win.

“I’m here to fit in what Luka, JJ, and Bron want me to do,” Ayton said. “That’s about it.”

“This platform I’m on, the organization, the team, the coaches, the opportunity I got—it won’t take nothing,” Ayton continued. “I’m already here. It’s already took its place. I’m already here talking to you guys representing the LA Lakers.”

With questions surrounding his motor and consistency since his time in Phoenix, Ayton acknowledged that growth was necessary and ongoing.

“True professionalism,” Ayton said. “I just been absent for a little bit in this league and, you know, hard work. I just been trying to put in as much work as I possibly can.”

“I just really want to show the world and just prove everybody that I am a winner,” Ayton added. “Any position I’m in, I just want to really win and sacrifice the way I did coming into this league.”

Now surrounded by championship expectations and elite playmakers, Ayton believes he’s in the right place to do exactly that.

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