It’s a big steal for the Lakers getting him at that price. His contract with the Suns was $133 million over 4 years, but now with the Lakers, he’s only getting an average of $8 million per year, that’s a huge drop.

I still believe Ayton has what it takes. He just didn’t fit well with the Suns. The Lakers definitely need a big man like him, and I think Ayton will prove to the league that he still has superstar potential. The skills and talent are there ( no question). What’s uncertain is his attitude, but hopefully LeBron can help him mature and build strong chemistry within the team.

During Ayton's stint with the Suns, I believe the problem emerged when Coach Monty Williams benched him during the Game 7 of the series against the Mavericks seasons ago. There's a video online where both of them are yelling with each other and after the game, they haven't spoke with each other ever since. I will not the put the blame solely on him either.

Yes expect LA to be the new Lob City. In the past, it was the Clippers with Paul and Jordan. Now it will be these 3, and it's a good combination as well knowing that Ayton is a good offensive player as well, but he isn't as good of a paint defender compared to some other bigs out there though. Chemistry for me will not be a problem at least in the majority of the regular season IMO because they got him during the off-season. The first games might have a problem with regards to chemistry though, but over the days, they will find a solution for it.

Will Ayton makes the Lakers a title contender? Nah, I don't think so. In the current era, bench plays a big role towards the success of the team. Look at the last 3 NBA Champions and what do they have in common. They have all-star players yes, but aside from that, they have a very deep bench, and the Lakers doesn't have that kind of bench, so sorry to those Laker fans out there, but as long as they don't improve their bench, they'll just be a playoff contender.

The start of next season is still a long way off. So the Lakers have plenty of time to improve their chemistry.
As for Ayton, I think he's got good potential. I mean, if he doesn't get lazy, he could easily perform at a high level with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game on average.

This is what I notice too but maybe his teammates were toxic that’s why he act that way.

AFAIK there’s a speculation that Lakers seeking to acquire top 3 2018 NBA draft pick that includes Bagley on the prospect acquisition.

This addition might boost the confidence of this trio since they are on the same class.

Both OKC and Pacers are good defensive team. OKC is rank 1 defensive team while Pacers is rank 6 defensive team on 2024-2025 regular season.

Full stats: https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense?SeasonType=Regular+Season

Both teams have balance offense and defense which is why they can beat any team on their own respective conference especially the Pacers that beat all the top seed that focus on offense.

For the first time in NBA history there was a 7-team trade. Durant is undoubtedly the most important player in this trade.

Rockets got Kevin Durant and Clint Capela. They built an ambitious roster for this season.
Suns got Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Plowden as well as Maluach, Fleming and Brea who were drafted this season. Even if one of these new players gets into the rotation, it will be a win for them.
Nets received only two 2nd round draft picks. Warriors also took two players selected in the 2nd round this season. Hawks, Lakers and Timberwolves also received newly drafted players or draft rights. There is no player worth focusing on at the moment.
Originally we talked about the trade between the Rockets and Suns, but 5 other teams got involved and it was the biggest trade.

That's what he's still chasing up to now. It's going to give his name more glory as a ring chaser and just like any other legends, they've got rings and more of it while they can.

3-4 years is going to take long. I think that maybe this season or the next one will be his last.

And speaking of retirement, CP0 said that this is his last season in the NBA --> https://www.si.com/fannation/nba/fastbreak/spurs-free-agent-chris-paul-makes-big-announcement-about-nba-future

Yeah, Luka is known to make big guys look good, like Lively and Gafford when he was still playing with the Mavs. This big men will have high percentage shot because of the lob pass coming from Luka.

So for sure, Ayton will have his time doing that, instead of his short jump, midrange shot when he was in Portland. Definitely, we can't compare him to AD as they are very different. But just imagine if your big guy can dominate or at least give you a good 15-17 per night. That will be a big addition to the Lakers already.

I would say they were underdogs all season long, nobody really gave Pacers a chance to be at finals let alone go to game seven and only god knows what would have happened if Haliburton didn't get injured on the last game as well, there was a serious chance they could have won it all if they stayed healthy, amazing achievement for a team nobody really gave a chance.

However, Lakers is a different story, they have a very aging Lebron, an unwilling Luka, and a "has been" Ayton who never shined. Is that the team that could do anything?

I mean let's be honest with each other, they might be very fun to watch, but they do not have what it takes to win the league, not right now. If they make some trades then maybe they may have some chance.

Well, Paul has had a good career overall, as he has become one of the best point guards in NBA history. The only thing is that he never got a ring, although he was very close to it when he was with the Suns.
However, he still has one more attempt to get a ring, but for that, he needs to sign a contract with a team that will be a title contender next season.