The Los Angeles Lakers desperately needed a center this offseason. And after Brook Lopez and Myles Turner went elsewhere, signing the recently bought-out Deandre Ayton felt like the only way to salvage an otherwise quiet offseason.

Throughout the course of the NBA offseason thus far, the future of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has become very cloudy. While he decided to pick up his $52.6 million player option to remain with the team,

LeBron's agent Rich Paul has previously told ESPN that "LeBron wants to compete for a championship" and that remains his priority. With how close he is to retirement and their recent addition of Luka Dončić, LeBron's approach and the Lakers approach may no longer match.