The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to trade center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and the Wizards’ second-round picks in 2031 and 2032 on Friday, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been completed.
The Lakers continue to clean out a starting lineup from a team that won 53 games a year ago and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
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One of Washington’s top post-draft priorities was to add a capable, durable big, and Ayton will slot into Washington’s big-man rotation as the primary backup at center, behind Alex Sarr. Ayton can also fill in as a starter when necessary. If Anthony Davis misses time because of injuries, which seems likely given that he’s played 70-plus games in only three of his 14 NBA seasons, Sarr can shift to power forward and Ayton can start at center.
The Lakers will put the Wizards’ incoming second-round picks into what had become a desperately bare asset chest that was down to just one tradeable second-round pick and one first-round pick swap after the Lakers acquired Walker Kessler this week.
Wizards officials view adding Ayton, who will turn 28 on July 23, as a low-risk move, in part because he has only one year remaining on his contract, at a guaranteed salary of $8.1 million for the 2026-27 season.
In recent days, many of the unrestricted free-agent bigs on the market agreed to deals with other teams, leaving Wizards officials believing a trade was the best route to improve their big-man depth. Wizards assistant coach Cody Toppert is familiar with Ayton from Toppert’s one season as a Phoenix Suns assistant coach.
Signed last season after Portland bought him out of his deal, Ayton’s one season with the Lakers was largely positive. The 2018 No. 1 pick averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and one block while playing a large role in the team’s first-round upset of the Houston Rockets.
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Hardy, who will turn 24 on Sunday, came to Washington from the Dallas Mavericks in February’s trade for Anthony Davis. Hardy was a capable scorer off the bench for the Wizards, averaging 12.0 points as he shot 42.0 percent from 3-point range.
The Lakers went into the offseason searching for an upgrade at the position and pushed two first-round picks and two swaps into a deal to land Kessler out of restricted free agency.
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The Lakers, who are also looking at adding a wing defender, with Jonathan Kuminga drawing interest, now need to find Kessler’s backup in free agency.
The Wizards now have three No. 1 overall picks on their roster, with Ayton joining Davis and this year’s top pick, AJ Dybantsa.
—David Aldridge contributed to this report