On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers addressed their biggest offseason need by signing a rim-protecting, athletic center — and they got exactly that in former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. Ayton agreed to a two-year,

Conversely, while James' future in L.A. still remains up in the air, it's expected that Doncic will re-sign with the team, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. The Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension on Aug. 2, or he can sign a three-year, $165 million extension with a 2028 player option.

Prior to Ayton's surprising availability, pickings looked fairly slim for the Lakers on the center market. They had previously tried to trade for Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler, but the two sides couldn't agree to a deal.