In dire need of addressing their center rotation, you could have forgiven the Golden State Warriors for having a level of interest in Deandre Ayton when the former number one overall pick was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason.
The Warriors instead had their eyes firmly fixed on acquiring Al Horford, and they should now be even more grateful for the veteran center in the wake of the latest reports painting a complete Ayton debacle at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Warriors should be more grateful for Al Horford after latest Deandre Ayton reports
In an explosive report on Thursday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin detailed some incredible, and quite frankly hilarious elements and stories from Ayton's time at the Lakers so far after signing a two-year, $16.2 million contract in free agency.
One such detail surrounded the lengths the coaching staff will go to in the hope of inspiring Ayton whose engine and overall effort has been questioned constantly in recent years.
"Members of the training staff wrap Ayton's water bottle in athletic tape and write "DA's Crunk Juice -- Drink this to unleash the beast" in black marker on it before games," McMenamin wrote.
There's also a direct quote from Ayton himself after Tuesday's one-point loss to the Orlando Magic, with the 27-year-old seemingly taking a swipe at veteran Houston Rockets center Clint Capela.
Deandre Ayton expressed his frustration with his role in LA after the Lakers’ loss vs. the Magic 😳 pic.twitter.com/D5BXsDSuzW
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 26, 2026
This is where the raw box score numbers can be misleading, with Ayton's 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on 66.7% shooting appearing reasonable on paper. However, the Lakers are also statistically a worse team when the seven-footer is on the floor, leading to a genuine question mark on whether it's he or Jaxson Hayes who is truly the franchise's primary big man.
Horford, meanwhile, has overcome a slow start and an early back injury to be the unassuming but effective center the Warriors desperately needed. Since his return on Christmas Day, Horford has averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks while shooting above 38% from 3-point range, but more importantly Golden State are +73 in his minutes.
The most disappointing aspect for the Warriors is the fact Jimmy Butler's season-ending injury means Horford's impact will likely go without a deep playoff appearance. Given the 39-year-old holds a player option for next season, there's still hope they can make amends for that next season when Butler returns.
As for Ayton, Thursday's report seemingly failed to spur him into action, having recorded just two points and four rebounds while being a -24 in less than 23 minutes during a 113-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns.