DeAndre Ayton has become the talk of the town after finalizing a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 26-year-old center, who’s a former No. 1 pick, is now on the radar of many teams, especially the Los Angeles Lakers. By now, it’s no secret that the Purple & Gold’s priority this summer is to land a big man to complement their superstar Luka Doncic. LA has been linked to multiple names, but Ayton certainly stands out from the rest.

For obvious reasons, of course. The Portland center finished last season with 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. That’s exactly the kind of output Rob Pelinka and Co. have been eyeing. With both parties showing mutual interest, it seems like a move for DeAndre Ayton might be on the horizon, as he sent a cryptic message to further add to the buzz around a potential move. Recently, Ayton, who’s currently enjoying a relaxing summer in Jamaica, posted a story on his Instagram.

In it, he was seen landing from a private jet, wearing a summer outfit. However, neither the private jet nor the location was what the Lakers Nation paid attention to; it was Ayton’s cap that caught everyone’s eye.

You see, the center was spotted wearing a LA Dodgers cap, which many fans linked with well, the Lakers! Fans were quick to react to the 26-year-old wearing the LA-based team’s cap. Now, did Ayton do this on purpose? That’s something only he can tell. Nonetheless, fans took this as a sign of him hinting at a move to Southern California.

What makes this cryptic message much more interesting is the current position the Lakers are in. With forward Dorian Finney-Smith gone, LA is set to have a full midlevel exception available to them. They can use this to offer DeAndre Ayton an appealing contract. Not to mention the 26-year-old has the same agent as Luka Doncic.

Meanwhile, as the Lakers look to solve their center problem by acquiring DeAndre Ayton, they face a massive dilemma over their other potential candidate.

The Los Angeles Lakers face a major dilemma in pursuit of Walker Kessler

If you’re wondering, DeAndre Ayton isn’t the only five on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar. There’s another star the Purple & Gold have been eyeing for the longest now, Walker Kessler. The Utah Jazz superstar has been linked with a move to Southern California for years now, but despite interest from both parties, one major issue has left the move stalling for far too long. Well, it’s Jazz’s steep asking price.

The Jazz front office is rumored to be only accepting a deal with the Lakers if Austin Reaves is involved in the package, something that they are reluctant to do. “Walker Kessler is the one I look at, and the Lakers have been interested in Kessler for the last couple of years. I know that they’ve wanted to keep Austin Reaves out of those conversations with Utah.” Jovan Buha stated on The Kevin O’Connor Show.

If you’re not aware, back in February, Utah’s ask for Kessler was multiple first-round picks, which LA deemed too steep. There’s no doubt that Kessler can be an ideal fit for the LA roster as the defensive center piece in their frontcourt. We mean, the stats speak for themselves. He finished the season averaging 12.2 points, 11.1 assists, and 2.4 blocks. His lob threat ability will certainly be a match made in heaven with Luka Doncic.

However, is giving up Austin Reaves the right move? Well, AR has been subjected to a lot of trade rumors since the offseason started, and with LeBron James piling up more pressure on the LA front office, anything is possible.