DeAndre Ayton has become the talk of the town after finalizing a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 26-year-old center, who’s a former No. 1 pick, is now on the radar of many teams, especially the Los Angeles Lakers. By now, it’s no secret that the Purple & Gold’s priority this summer is to land a big man to complement their superstar Luka Doncic. LA has been linked to multiple names, but Ayton certainly stands out from the rest.

For obvious reasons, of course. The Portland center finished last season averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 40 games. That’s exactly the kind of players Rob Pelinka and Co. have been eyeing. With both parties showing mutual interest, it seems like a move for DeAndre Ayton might be over the horizon, and he sent a cryptic message to further increase the buzz around the move. Recently, Ayton, who’s enjoying a relaxing summer in Jamaica, posted a story on his Instagram where he’s seen landing from a private jet, wearing a summer outfit.

However, neither the private jet nor the location was what the Lakers Nation paid attention to; it was Ayton’s cap that caught everyone’s eye. You see, the center was spotted wearing a LA Dodgers cap, which many fans linked with his rumors that join the Lakers. The fans were quick to react to the 26-year-old wearing a LA-based sporting team’s cap. Now, did Ayton do this on purpose? That’s something only he could tell. Nonetheless, the fans took this as a sign of him hinting at a move to Southern California.

What makes this cryptic message much more interesting is the current position the Lakers are in. With forward Dorian Finney-Smith declining his player option for next season, LA is set to have a full midlevel exception available to them. They can use this to offer DeAndre Ayton an appealing contract. Not to mention, the 26-year-old has the same agent as Luka Doncic, which only adds to the speculation of him being LA-bound. Whether he does or not is another story, but for now, all clues point to him joining the Lakers.

Meanwhile, as the Lakers look to solve their center problem by acquiring DeAndre Ayton, they face a massive dilemma over their other potential candidate.

The Los Angeles Lakers face a major dilemma in their pursuit of Walker Kessler

If you’re wondering, DeAndre Ayton isn’t the only five on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar. There’s another star the Purple & Gold have been eyeing for the longest now, Walker Kessler. The Utah Jazz superstar has been linked with a move to Southern California for years now, but despite interest from both parties, one major issue has left the move stalling for far too long. What issue? You might ask. Well, it’s Jazz’s steep asking price for the 23-year-old.

The Jazz front office is rumored to be only accepting a deal with the Lakers if Austin Reaves is involved in the package, something that they are reluctant to do. “Walker Kessler is the one I look at, and the Lakers have been interested in Kessler for the last couple of years. I know that they’ve wanted to keep Austin Reaves out of those conversations with Utah.” Jovan Buha stated on The Kevin O’Connor Show. If you’re not aware, back in February, Utah’s ask for Kessler was multiple first-round picks, which LA deemed too steep.

There’s no doubt that Kessler will be an awesome fit the the LA roster, as the defensive center piece in their frontcourt. We mean, his stats speak for themselves. He finished the season averaging 12.2 points, 11.1 assists, and 2.4 blocks. His lob threat ability will certainly be a match made in heaven with Luka Doncic. However, is giving up Austin Reaves the right move? Well, AR has been subjected to a lot of trade rumors since the offseason starter, and with LeBron James piling up more pressure on the LA front office, anything is possible.

So, don’t take your eye off the Lakers for the rest of the summer, we certainly won’t, as we closely monitor the Purple & Gold’s offseason moves.