Lakers trade center for guard and draft picks

The Lakers traded their starting center to the Wizards on Friday for a guard and two second-round picks in 2031 and 2032. The deal removes an $8.1 million salary for the 2026-27 season and adds a player who averaged 12.6 points last season while shooting 42 percent from three-point range.

Roster changes The center had exercised his player option earlier in the week under the two-year, $16.2 million contract signed last July. He averaged 12.5 points and 8 rebounds over 72 regular-season games and posted 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in the first-round playoff series. The incoming guard previously played with the team's lead guard in Dallas before moving to Washington last season.

Offseason activity The Lakers have re-signed one guard to a four-year, $185 million deal and completed a sign-and-trade for a center on a four-year, $130 million contract. Additional agreements include a four-year, $60 million deal, a four-year, $52 million deal, and a two-year, $19 million deal, each containing a player option. The team still has one forward listed as an unrestricted free agent.

“The trade is a continuation of the Lakers' roster reconstruction around superstar guard Luka Doncic, who recruited Ayton to Los Angeles last summer." — AP The incoming second-round picks address a need for additional selections after earlier trades depleted the team's draft assets.”