Los Angeles Lakers Reportedly Don't View Key Starter As A Long-Term Piece

This summer, the Los Angeles Lakers made plenty of changes, with the team looking to build a true contender around the trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. One position that they needed to fill was the center position vacated when they traded Anthony Davis, with very few elite options to fill that void.

Then, they made the move to land former No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton, with the team believing they can work through his flaws and bring out the best in him. Through 30 games played this season, Ayton has averaged 14.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, but unfortunately, he just hasn't played as well as the team had hoped.

Now, reporter Jake Fischer has revealed that the team reportedly does not see him as a key piece of their future or a long-term fit at the position.

Whether that means they'll be looking to move him this season ahead of the trade deadline or allow the full season to play out, only time will tell, but for now, it's all but a guarantee that the team will be looking to upgrade the position before long.

At this point in time, there are very few clear upgrades available in the league for the Lakers, so it's likely that they'll ride it out with Ayton this season, but unless he can finally put it all together at the NBA level, his time with the Lakers could be coming to an end.