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It was rather evident entering the offseason that the Los Angeles Lakers didn't want certain players on their roster.
One of those guys was clearly Deandre Ayton, a player who many already warned the Lakers about when they decided to land him an offseason ago.
It wasn't the best idea by the Lakers, but they thought they had an opportunity to get the best out of the former first-overall pick while pairing him with Luka Doncic.
I understood the idea, though I didn't necessarily agree with it.
Trading Ayton, at least to me, was simply due to the Lakers not wanting him.
However, according to a reporter from The Athletic, it raised some eyebrows around the NBA.
The reason for that is due to money aspects.
The trade of Deandre Ayton also raised eyebrows, as it generated just $2.1 million in extra cap room.
While that money (about $1.4 million of it, technically) was needed to complete their free-agent deals on the terms that were agreed to, the wiggle room could have been created in other ways, such as by trading or stretching Dalton Knecht, John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote.
Whatever the reason might have been, Ayton is no longer with the Lakers, and I think it's fair to say the Lakers are in a much better position at the center position than they were when Ayton was on the roster.
Doncic has made it known plenty of times that he wants big-time centers around him, and the Lakers did exactly that by trading for Walker Kessler.
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