The Lakers entered the offseason with a dearth of centers — a reality general manager Rob Pelinka publicly acknowledged multiple times over the last few months.

And a few days into free agency, the Lakers grabbed arguably the top big man available on the market.

The Lakers came to terms on a contract with Deandre Ayton on Wednesday, filling the team’s biggest need since trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the trade that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles.

Ayton wasn’t originally expected to be a free agent, but was available after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers last Sunday.

He cleared waivers on Wednesday, and will be able to officially sign with the Lakers after the free-agency moratorium period ends Sunday.

The Lakers will sign Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million deal, which was first reported by NBA insider Jake Fischer, with a player option for the 2026-27 season. His 2025-26 salary with the Lakers is expected to be for around $8.2 million, which is the remainder of the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception they entered free agency with. The Lakers will sign 23-year-old wing Jake LaRavia with the other portion of their mid-level exception for 2025-26 as part of the two-year, $12 million contract they’ll sign him to.

The 7-foot, 250-pound Ayton was slated to have a $35.6 million salary for 2025-26 as the final season of the four-year, $132.9 million contract he returned to the Phoenix Suns on during the 2022 offseason. He gave up $10 million of his salary in his buyout with Portland, which came to fruition after the Trail Blazers weren’t able to pull off a trade including Ayton, according to USA Today’s HoopsHype.

Ayton, who will turn 27 later this month, has been a polarizing player since being the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft despite his statistical productivity.

He’s averaged a double-double every season of his career, with career averages of 16.4 points (59% shooting), 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one blocked shot in 398 regular-season games (30.8 minutes).

Ayton is one of 12 players to average a points-rebounds double-double since he came into the league (minimum 300 games played), along with: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Davis, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Vucevic, Domantas Sabonis, Jonas Valanciunas, Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela and Andre Drummond.

Antetokounmpo, Ayton, Gobert and Vucevic are the only four players to average points-rebounds double-doubles in each of the last seven seasons.

But Ayton’s drawbacks, mainly perceived inconsistencies regarding his effort and team buy-in, have led to his first two NBA teams – first the Phoenix Suns and now the Trail Blazers – to move on from him despite his talent.

Ayton averaged 16.7 points (59.7% shooting) and 10.4 rebounds in his five seasons in Phoenix. A 2018-19 All-Rookie first-team honoree, Ayton looked to be a part of the Suns’ long-term future after being a critical part of their run to the 2021 NBA Finals.

But the Suns traded him to the Trail Blazers in September 2023 as part of the three-team deal that sent perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Ayton played only 40 games for the Trail Blazers in 2024-25, the second fewest of his career, and played in just 95 out of a possible 164 regular-season games over the past two seasons. He averaged 15.7 points (56.9% shooting) and 10.2 rebounds in two years with Portland, including 14.4 points (56.6% shooting) and 10.2 rebounds in 2024-25.

ESPN reported that Ayton and his representatives approached the Blazers about the buyout, adding that Ayton wants to play in a “winning situation.”

Enter the opportunistic Lakers, who are coming off a 50-win season as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, in part, because of their lack of reliable big-man play – a need they’re hopeful Ayton will fulfill.

Ayton is a lob threat, a good rebounder, a strong finisher at or near the rim and is a reliable midrange shooter, especially for a big man. He’s been a credible rim protector throughout his career and is more switchable/agile on the perimeter defensively than he’s been given credit for. Ayton has also been reliable in the post offensively, though his post-up frequency and efficiency decreased significantly in Portland.

The most engaged version of Ayton could be the athletic, rim-oriented big man the Lakers were looking to pair alongside Doncic, while also being able to contribute in other areas.

Whether the Lakers consistently get that version of Ayton will determine the success of this pending signing.