In the minds of most NBA fans, DeAndre Ayton's contract buyout essentially gifted the Los Angeles Lakers their starting center for the 2025-26 campaign. But while Ayton makes sense for a Lakers team in dire need of a big man, they're almost certainly far from the only team that will express interest in the former No. 1 overall pick.
Ayton has not come close to matching the hype he entered the NBA with, but he's still a rock-solid player. His contract buyout had more to do with the Blazers needing to free minutes in their frontcourt for younger players than Ayton being a bad NBA center.
A team like the New York Knicks, for example, with questions regarding the futures of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in New York, might express interest. The Lakers should be seen as favorites, but the Knicks are one of several dark horses that should be taken seriously in Ayton's free agency market. Here are some others.
4) Milwaukee Bucks
Does anyone know what the Milwaukee Bucks are doing? We know that they plan on keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo, but with Damian Lillard out for the year and several key players headed to free agency, who is going to play with The Greek Freak?
The Bucks did just extend Bobby Portis, but he's been at his best in his Milwaukee tenure as a sixth man. With Brook Lopez hitting free agency and likely departing, there's a glaring hole in the frontcourt. Ayton isn't the defender or shooter Lopez is, but he's a much better rebounder and finisher especially at this stage in their respective careers.
He might not be the best fit alongside Antetokounmpo, given his lack of floor spacing, but to put it simply: This Bucks team needs talent. Ayton should get a good amount of run if he were to sign in Milwaukee, and if he's open to signing a prove-it deal, why shouldn't the Bucks rush to get one done?
3) Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors might not be the powerhouse they once were, but they're still a team with a lot of talent. Stephen Curry is still one of the best point guards in the NBA. Jimmy Butler proved that he's still an extremely impactful wing even after how his tenure with the Miami Heat unfolded. Draymond Green is still an elite defender. What this Warriors team is really missing is size; that's where the seven-footer Ayton comes in.
He might not be an elite rim protector and doesn't really stretch the floor, but he's a strong finisher inside and is a terrific rebounder. The Warriors already have tremendous floor spacing with guys like Curry and Buddy Hield on their team, and they have Green's defense to lean on. What the Warriors don't have much of is rebounding: The Warriors ranked in the bottom five in the NBA in rebounding last season, and Ayton has averaged double-digit rebounds in each of his seven NBA seasons.
Green can be a viable small-ball center in certain matchups, but they lack another ideal option, and Ayton offers them upside at the center position nobody else on the open market can match. This fit makes a lot of sense.
2) San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are loaded with backcourt and wing depth, but the same cannot be said about their frontcourt. Yes, Victor Wembanyama is already one of the best centers in the NBA, but who else is there to make note of? Is 6-foot-8 Jeremy Sochan really big enough to be their backup center? Is Charles Bassey good enough to handle that role?
Wembaynama will start and play heavy minutes in every game he can play in, but the Spurs need someone to back him up, and if they plan on taking a leap, they'll need to find an upgrade over what they've got in-house. Ayton certainly fits that bill.
I don't know if Ayton would be open to a reserve role, especially with there being several teams that need a starting-caliber center, but if he's open to joining San Antonio in such a role, it'd be a great fit.
1) Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets had shallow center depth before trading Jusuf Nurkic (a center) for Collin Sexton (a guard). That deal was a good one, but it made an already existing weakness that much more prevalent. Whether it'd be Grant Williams, Moussa Diabate or even Ryan Kalkbrenner, it's anyone's best guess as to who Charlotte's starting center would be if the season started today. What we do know, though, is that an upgrade is needed.
The Hornets won't win nearly as many games as the Warriors or Spurs in the 2025-26 campaign, but an argument can be made that no team has a better opportunity for Ayton to play a lot and make an impact than the Hornets. Charlotte is loaded with backcourt depth with Sexton joining LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Tre Mann. The Hornets have wings with Kon Knueppel joining Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and Tidjane Salaun. What they lack is center depth.
This Hornets team would be quite bad defensively with Ayton manning the middle on a roster full of offense-first talent, but it's not as if they're championship contenders or anything. Ayton would get an opportunity to put up numbers on a subpar Hornets team and potentially boost his value along the way. If his priority is putting up the best numbers possible over winning, Charlotte is the place for him to go to.