Lakers Hit the Spot: Ayton Signs for Two-Year, $16.6M Deal

The Lakers have found the center they have been waiting for. The California franchise has won the race for former first overall pick Deandre Ayton, who somewhat surprisingly became a free agent on Sunday night after his buyout with the Blazers. Ayton will sign a two-year, $16.6 million deal with LeBron's team that desperately needs physicality under the basket on both ends of the court.

The Lakers will be able to count on the first overall pick in the 2017 draft. The former Blazers player is coming off a not particularly brilliant year: he has played only 40 games, averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. For Ayton, who will turn 27 on July 23, it is an important milestone as well as a great opportunity to make a decisive change in a career that has been mixed up to this point. He is certainly an appreciable talent, but there are also many question marks about his approach to work in the gym. Will the purchase of Ayton be able to cure the stomach aches of a LeBron who in the last two days has worried the yellow-violet fans quite a bit with the post "opt-in" statements by his agent Rich Paul? There is still a lot of work to do for LA puppeteer Rob Pelinka.

Charlotte is also very active on the market, renewing its free agent Tre Mann (three years worth 24 million) and agreeing to a one-year contract with former Mavericks Spencer Dinwiddie. Dante Exum remains in Dallas, destined to become the backup for the new acquisition of the Texan franchise D'Angelo Russell, at least until the injured Kyrie Irving returns to action. It's also an important day for the Knicks, although not for news coming from the market. The New York franchise has finally made up its mind: the team after Thibs will be entrusted to two-time coach of the year Mike Brown. Fresh from being fired in December by the Kings, Brown will have to quickly make people forget a coach who, despite often being criticized by a good portion of New York fans, still managed to produce the best season of the last 25 years for the Knicks. In his career, Mike Brown can boast a record of 454 wins and 304 losses as a head coach in the NBA.