When a 7-foot No. 1 overall pick scores six points in a playoff closeout game, questions are bound to follow. That’s what Deandre Ayton delivered in the Lakers’ Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The four-game sweep hence capped a season of mounting questions about the 27-year-old’s ceiling and, increasingly, his commitment. The image that followed didn’t help his case either. Ayton was photographed after the elimination wearing a “Domi” chain, his DominAyton nickname, which former NBA guard Patrick Beverley immediately called out publicly: “Dumb chain, dumb name.” And then Kendrick Perkins went further.

Speaking on Road Trippin’, Perkins, the former champion and current ESPN analyst, issued a blunt career warning:

“If you’re Deandre Ayton right now, hey man, you might be out the league in a few years. And I’m going to tell you why. You were drafted with the number one pick to the Phoenix Suns. Y’all made an NBA Finals run. The people said, get your a– up out of here, and traded you to Portland.

Portland opened the door. They did a whole big thing: ‘Oh, we got Deandre Ayton.’ It didn’t take long. They was like, ‘Man, get your a– up out of here.’ … And then all of a sudden, Luka lobbied for you to come to LA. … And now all of a sudden, Luka is saying he needs an A-list centre. DeAndre, listen to me, brother. It’s not going to be too many more opportunities. … I’m telling you right now: if your a– don’t show up and show out, you’re going to be out of the NBA.”

Phoenix let Ayton go following the 2022-23 season, where his relationship with head coach Monty Williams had broken down, despite his career averages of 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Then, Portland made him the centerpiece of a rebuild and moved on within 18 months. Luka Doncic and Rob Pelinka recruited him to Los Angeles last summer on a two-year, $16.2M deal. However, per reports, Luka is already demanding an A-list center upgrade. 

And the stats from the 2026 playoffs sum up everyone’s frustration.

Against Houston in Round 1, Ayton averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, outplaying Alperen Şengün and looking like exactly the rim-runner the Lakers needed around Doncic. But against Oklahoma City in Round 2, the same player averaged 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 39.3% from the field, consistently outperformed by Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on both ends.

That inconsistency is what has followed Ayton from Phoenix to Portland to Los Angeles. Because at each stop, his talent was never in question. During the last regular season, Jaxson Hayes had already started appearing ahead of him in late-game rotations, which wasn’t a relationship breakdown with JJ Redick but simply a matter of motor.

Now that same player has a decision to make: exercise his $8.1M player option for 2026-27, or test a market that just watched both playoff series.

Lakers insider Jovan Buha put it plainly: “I think after the Rockets series, he would be more likely to opt out. After the Thunder series, he’s more likely to opt in. You could make a case based on the regular-season production that he was probably worth somewhere like $15 to $20 million, but after seeing the limitations in the playoffs, especially in that OKC series, it’s tough whether you’re the Lakers or any other team.”

Now, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, Ayton is expected to exercise the option. At 27 – which is not a rebuilding age, and neither is Ayton a young player who stands to earn patience – that $8.1M guarantees his salary on a Luka Doncic team. Opting out sends him into free agency carrying the aftereffects of a six-point closeout game.

What opting in doesn’t resolve is the Lakers’ desire to upgrade at center. If Rob Pelinka lands the A-list option Luka wants, Ayton likely occupies a reduced or tradeable role, which is exactly the situation Perkins is warning about. A player who has already been moved on from by two franchises, now potentially becoming a roster piece rather than an anchor at a team that seems to be actively exploring his replacement.