Lakers Pull Off Deandre Ayton Trade, but One Key Question Still Remains

The Los Angeles Lakers still have work to do after completing the Deandre Ayton trade with the Washington Wizards.

Apr 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) moves the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half in game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Once Deandre Ayton officially opted into the final year of his contract ($8.1 million) with the Los Angeles Lakers, the rumors started swirling about his immediate future with the team, as the expectation was that the team would look to trade him.

After the Lakers pulled off the Walker Kessler trade, Ayton’s fate was more or less sealed. A trade would be in the works, and that’s exactly what happened on Friday.

Lakers Trade Deandre Ayton to Wizards

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have agreed to trade Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks.

Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two Wizards second-round picks in 2031 and 2032, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bAEtSFpTNi

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026

Before this trade went down on Friday, there was a lot of speculation about the next move for the Lakers. The consensus has been that the team wasn’t done filling out the roster, even though they have exhausted their cap space, making it very difficult to bring in another player on anything other than a veteran minimum contract.

Along with no longer having the cap space to make significant signings, the Lakers didn’t have the draft capital to make attractive trade pitches to teams, with their best two assets, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, being sent to the Utah Jazz in the Kessler trade.

However, the Lakers were able to get to second-round picks from the Wizards in this Ayton trade, which is a step in the right direction.

What Jaden Hardy Brings to the Lakers

Much like Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy played with Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks, which may have made him an appealing addition for the Lakers, especially after he had a solid stretch with Washington last season after being traded by Dallas ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Hardy averaged 12.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 23 regular-season games with the Wizards during the 2025-26 campaign, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range.

Although Hardy is a bit redundant with a loaded backcourt in Los Angeles, he might be able to be a reliable scorer off the bench for the Lakers.

What’s Next for the Lakers?

With Ayton on the way out, the team will likely be looking to add a backup center in free agency.

The one big question for Los Angeles moving forward is whether the team can still find a way to bring back Rui Hachimura or sign Jonathan Kuminga, whose team option for next season was declined by the Atlanta Hawks, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Lakers can use the stretch provision on Jarred Vanderbilt to free up some cap space, but it is uncertain if the team will go that route unless they know for sure they can sign Hachimura or Kuminga.

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