Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday, breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at DeAndre Ayton.

In the immediate aftermath of trading for Luka Dončić, Rob Pelinka knew he was going to need a starting center, not just because he had just dealt away their defensive anchor and All-NBA big man Anthony Davis to acquire Dončić, but because Luka had reportedly already expressed a desire to get a lob threat to pair with him for the short and long term.

Pelinka was quick to oblige. Seemingly hours after calling the center market “dry” in his presser to introduce Luka, Pelinka stealthily swung for the fences again when he dealt away Dalton Knecht and a f

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