Deandre Ayton's arrival in Los Angeles comes at a turbulent period, as the Lakers' newest addition revealed that he has yet to receive a welcome message from LeBron James amid ongoing tensions with the team's front office.

The Lakers acquiring Luka Doncic meant that getting athletic defensive wings and a starting caliber big man was always required. While Ayton has had his critics, he's still going

The Los Angeles Lakers had a clear priority going into free agency: to find a rim-protecting, lob-threat center — and that’s exactly what they got last week, signing 26-year-old and 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton to a two-year deal.