Deandre Ayton didn’t hold back his frustration. Following the Lakers’ narrow loss to the Orlando Magic, the former No. 1 overall pick was overheard venting, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela.” The comment quickly went viral across NBA circles, drawing reactions from fans and players alike. Among them was Warriors veteran and four-time champion Draymond Green, who weighed in on Ayton’s apparent frustration with his role in Los Angeles.

Ayton finished with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes, helping the Lakers control the paint and the glass, but his postgame outburst ultimately became the biggest storyline.

“Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic share the same agent. And, you know, agents, a lot of agents use as leverage when they got star players to do other things. I don’t know that this was the case in Deandre Ayton’s situation, but those types of things happen all the time, and that would make sense to me.” the 35-year-old said on The Draymond Green Show.

“I would say to DeAndre Ayton, like, you know, playing the Clint Capella role with Luka Doncic can be very, um, beneficial. But there won’t be much else of a role for a guy making 8 million a year, that’s not a top 10 pick making eight million a year on a rookie contract. So, yeah, we’ll see how that plays out, but it seems like the tensions are rising,” Green added.

Ayton’s predicament with his role in LA’s offense seems to be reaching a boiling point as we approach a crucial juncture in the season, with the playoffs fast approaching. But Green reasserts that this is something the former Phoenix Suns man should have anticipated when he signed with the Lakers.

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“I don’t know what DeAndre Ayton thought would be his role going to the Los Angeles Lakers on a contract that paid him eight million dollars a year. Um, but that’s kind of where he is in his career, you know. You had the opportunity, got the big contract with the Suns; was ultimately traded to the Blazers. That didn’t quite work out. Get a buyout, and you actually end up on the Los Angeles Lakers, making eight million a year, even after receiving a buyout, where most people get minimum deals after receiving buyouts,” Green said.

Green may have a point in this debate, considering Capela’s role with the Houston Rockets playing alongside James Harden. The European thrived in a pick-and-roll position alongside Harden and, later on, Chris Paul. Capela sacrificed touches for Harden’s creation, which is something Ayton may need to replicate in relation to Doncic.

JJ Redick Admits Deandre Ayton is ‘Unhappy’ with Offensive Role

Since arriving in the NBA as the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Ayton has seen his stock decline in recent years. During the five years in Phoenix, Ayton started 296 games, averaging 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds playing as a center. Following his move to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023, Ayton’s average dropped to 15.7 points, but his total rebounds per game improved a bit to 10.7 in 95 games over two seasons.

But since moving to LA in the summer of 2025, Ayton is averaging 13 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 0.9 APG over his first 50 games with the Lakers. This is something HC JJ Redick and the coaching staff are looking to help him with, as revealed in a previous interview.

“I think he’s frustrated. He doesn’t feel like he’s getting the ball. There’s some stuff we have to clean up versus the shock, just for him to be more available. It’s on everybody…To me, it comes down to whether he’s going to be active, engaged, and assertive. I think the trust level from the past builds off that. But we have to start getting him a couple of touches before the seven-minute mark,” Reddick said in January.

Ayton has another year left on his contract before he enters free agency in the summer of 2027. The Lakers need him to either accept the role they have in mind for him or move on; there’s no two ways about that. If things continue as they are right now, Ayton might not be wearing the gold and purple colours next year, but he has enough time to prevent that.