Lakers Get Tough Update as Their 7'4 Draft Solution Takes a Turn

This postseason exposed a problem the Los Angeles Lakers front office had been hoping to paper over all year.

Deandre Ayton was supposed to be the steady center next to Luka Doncic, the kind of lob threat and paint presence that finally made the five spot feel settled. Instead, head coach JJ Redick spent the year managing his effort, benching him through multiple stretches, and watching Los Angeles play better basketball with him off the floor.

That gap turned costly once Doncic battled a hamstring injury down the stretch.

The Lakers needed a big who could anchor possessions on his own and still fit beside Luka in pick and roll, and Ayton kept proving he was not that answer in the moments that mattered most. Now a free agent, his future in Los Angeles remains an open question heading into the summer, one that pushed the front office to keep looking elsewhere for the center spot.

That search led to a pre-draft workout list, per HoopsHype, connecting Los Angeles to Italian center Luigi Suigo, exactly the kind of swing the front office needed to take. The Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs reportedly worked him out too.

Lakers Lose Out as Luigi Suigo Picks Villanova Over the NBA Draft

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic — Luka Doncic | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

That hope hit a wall on June 13, when Suigo withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft and committed to Villanova for next season, as per Reuters. For a Lakers front office still searching for its long-term center, the timing could not have stung more.

The appeal was obvious. Across his draft eligible season, Suigo averaged 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 18.1 minutes a game, shooting 56 percent from the floor. NBA Draft Room called him a big, mobile center with a high skill level and a lot of upside, the kind of raw tools that take time to round into something reliable.

That kind of patience is exactly what made him interesting for this roster. Suigo's mobility and his comfort rolling hard to the rim hinted at a center who could have developed into a real two-way piece next to Doncic. Given a runway with the Lakers, he might have turned into the long-term answer Ayton was only ever filling in for.

Suigo himself said he had hoped for a top twenty guarantee from an NBA team. After hearing feedback, he decided another year at Villanova gave him a better shot at boosting his stock before trying again.

For the Lakers, this swing and miss does not erase anything. The center spot is still unsettled, Ayton's free agency still hangs over the offseason, and Pelinka now heads into the summer hunting for the same fix he could not find this time around.

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