The Los Angeles Lakers still need a big man. Ever since they traded for Luka Doncic, they've been searching for a decent center who might be able to provide some interior defense or catch a lob, but a trade for Mark Williams fell apart at the trade deadline and early free agency has yielded no results.
Over the weekend their search seemed to narrow to Deandre Ayton who was drafted ahead of Doncic in 2017 and shares an agent with the Serbian star. Unfortunately for the Lakers, another team had apparently entered the Ayton chat and they had an advantage. Simply put, they could offer him more money. Via The Athletic:
