The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in the franchise’s latest big move amid a summer of upheaval.
Wizards guard Jaden Hardy, who was teammates with Luka Dončić at the Dallas Mavericks, is joining the Lakers as part of the trade.
Lakers Trade Deandre Ayton for Luka Dončić’s Former Teammate
The trade news broke on Friday, when NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the Lakers were sending Ayton to the Wizards in exchange for Hardy and two second-round draft picks in 2031 and 2032.
“Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two Wizards second-round picks in 2031 and 2032, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote on X.
Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two Wizards second-round picks in 2031 and 2032, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bAEtSFpTNi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026
Ayton had originally opted into his $8.1 million player option to stay with the Lakers for another year. However, the Lakers opted to trade the center after acquiring Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz.
Kessler has agreed to a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers and will be the franchise’s starting center next season.
Signing a new center was on top of the list of Dončić’s requests to the Lakers front office for this offseason. Ayton started 72 games for the Lakers last season, but wasn’t able to make the desired impact.
The 2018 No. 1 draft pick polarized opinion during his Lakers spell and was often criticized for his lack of consistency. He averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game as the Lakers finished as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
Davis will now look to make a fresh start with the Wizards, where he will likely be the backup to star center Anthony Davis.
The move to trade Ayton gives the Lakers more draft assets and flexibility to pay more money to free agents while staying within their cap space.
Meanwhile, Hardy joins the Lakers after playing just 23 games for the Wizards. He spent four years with the Mavericks, where he also played alongside Dončić, before being traded to the Wizards in February 2026.
Hardy showed his potential for the Wizards, averaging 12.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 23 appearances off the bench. He will likely come off the bench for the Lakers as well, and it will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets in the rotation next season.
The Lakers have several options in the guard positions, including Dončić, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Bronny James.
