Being swept in the Eastern Conference semis and the glaring roster gaps the entire season were always going to make this a critical offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. But with looming questions around LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, Rob Pelinka’s office is seemingly planning some aggressive moves. The desperation stems from LA’s humbling at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a series that exposed a lack of interior grit and consistent rim protection Deandre Ayton didn’t provide. To patch this massive roster hole, the front office has reportedly zeroed in on his replacement.

By the most ironic of circumstances, Deandre Ayton’s replacement could be coming from the team he had a fallout with. Robert Williams III, currently on the Portland Trail Blazers, is a frontrunner to be the Lakers’ new lower frontcourt anchor.

It looks like a scripted reality series that the Blazers could put Ayton out of a job again. The former teammates at Portland are from the same 2018 draft class, 26 spots apart. They were even college rivals. When injuries didn’t hit, Williams emerged as the reliable backup big for the Blazers after the team bought out the remainder of Ayton’s contract. With this kind of background it could be a Hallmark romance or a Lifetime thriller.

Now Williams is the Lakers’ top unrestricted free-agent target. He reportedly came into the Purple & Gold radar after the recent NBA draft combine meetings in Chicago according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The NBA insider revealed that the 28-year-old defensive specialist has rapidly become the most discussed target among league executives and not just the Lakers.

“The one name that basically picked up the most buzz, a lot of teams in Chicago last week, was Robert Williams. That’s the name,” Marks stated. Williams’ defensive prowess left jaws unhinged when he physically checked Victor Wembanyama in the first round Spurs-Blazers series using his athleticism to bother the 7’4 Alien in ways Ayton never duplicated against OKC.

“You have to be cautious with that because of the games and availability, minutes,” Marks noted. “That’s the one guy who, I don’t want to say neutralized Victor [Wembanyama], but he guarded him, probably one of the best in the playoffs in the first round. That would be the guy.”

Williams’ injury history makes him as unpredictable as Deandre Ayton’s consistency. However, the vision behind targeting Williams revolves around maximizing the generational playmaking of franchise superstar Luka Doncic. The aggressive pursuit of Williams signals a shift in philosophy that places incumbent starting center Deandre Ayton’s future with the franchise in extreme jeopardy.

Deandre Ayton’s liability outweighs Robert Williams III’s availability to Lakers

While Robert Williams III averaged a modest 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 59 regular-season games, his elite vertical spacing, screen-setting, and lob-catching timing make him an ideal pick-and-roll partner for Doncic. And as he’s been relentlessly mocked by Clint Capella and others this season, Ayton’s inability to catch and convert lobs is his biggest flaw.

Marks noted that to get Williams, the Lakers have to navigate a crowded free agency market containing roughly $50 million in cap space that are critically dependent on pending decisions on LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura. If it works out, analysts predict they could secure Williams in the $12 million to $13 million per-year range to instantly elevate the team’s defensive floor.

The primary hurdle for general manager Rob Pelinka remains Williams’ notoriously fragile medical history. He was limited to just 85 total games over the previous three seasons due to persistent knee issues. The willingness to pursue Williams with his injury history probably reflects the front office’s deep frustration over Ayton’s baseline inconsistencies.

Signed to a lucrative two-year $16.2 million contract last summer to serve as the premier defensive anchor alongside Doncic, Ayton instead became a regular defensive liability throughout the 2025-26 season. The tipping point occurred during Game 3 of the Thunder series. Head coach JJ Redick visibly lost patience and pulled Ayton from the floor after OKC grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds on a single possession. He was reportedly heard saying, “I can’t play him” when he subbed out Ayton.

While Ayton is great when he’s good, he’s also virtually unplayable in high-stakes moments. It’s not limited to his inability to protect the paint. Sometimes it’s boiled down to the same attitude problems that alienated him from the Portland fanbase. In stark contrast to Ayton’s passivity, Robert Williams elevated his stock dramatically during Portland’s first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds on a 63% shooting.

While Ayton holds an $8 million player option for the upcoming season, league insiders heavily suspect the Lakers are actively exploring ways to move on from the former number-one pick, even if he opts into the final year of his deal.