Ayton has looked comfortable alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He’s expected to thrive with LeBron James as well, so he’s going to be a huge factor throughout the season for the Lakers. He might never live up to his potential as a former No. 1 pick, but he could carve out a perfect role in Hollywood.
JJ Redick Sends Strong Message After Deandre Ayton Injury
Posted November 24, 2025
After the Los Angeles Lakers squeaked out a 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz, coach JJ Redick delivered a strong message regarding Deandre Ayton‘s injury. Ayton was ruled out of the second half due to a right knee contusion.
Speaking to the media in his postgame press conference, Redick was asked about an update on Ayton’s condition. The second-year coach didn’t want to speculate on his big man’s injury, but he wanted everyone to know that it’s next man up for his team.
“I mean, everybody’s got to be ready. I don’t want to speculate on DA, but you know, we feel confident that we have enough options,” Redick said.
Ayton was unable to practice on Saturday because of illness, but he was cleared to play against the Jazz. However, he suffered a right knee contusion after colliding with Ace Bailey in the first quarter. He tried to play through the injury before getting ruled out of the second half.
“He had gotten hit on his leg in the first half and was kind of limping through it. And then couldn’t go in the second half,” Redick said, via ESPN.
The former No. 1 pick finished with just two points, two rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes.
Redick’s Options if Ayton Gets Ruled Out
The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t released an update on Deandre Ayton‘s injury. They are flying back home to Los Angeles, so Ayton is likely to be evaluated on Monday before an official diagnosis is announced. The Lakers are set to start a four-game homestand on November 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
If Ayton gets ruled out, coach JJ Redick has solid options off the bench. Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber split the minutes at center in the second half, as per Bleacher Report. Hayes is more of a rim runner and prefers to be in the dunker’s spot, while Kleber stretches the floor with his 3-point shooting.
Ayton is having a solid start to his Lakers career, averaging 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the purple and gold franchise in free agency. He has a player option for next season, so he’s playing for a new contract.
Ayton Underappreciated This Season
After recording three consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound games, Deandre Ayton received a shoutout from NBA analyst MJ Acosta-Ruiz. The host of The Association on NBA TV praised Ayton’s performances for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, describing his contribution to the 12-win team as “underappreciated.”
“He has been going off; he has four 20 and 10 games already through the season, which is what he had all of last year. And he is anchoring this Lakers defense at the moment. I think he’s one of those guys…you can’t discount what he’s been doing thus far this season,” Acosta-Ruiz said, via Basketball Network.
Yankees Face Final Decision on Fate of $6.6 Million Bullpen Arm
Camilo Doval of the New York Yankees
After reaching the World Series in 2024 for the first time in 15 years, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees struggled throughout this year to reach those heights. One of the main culprits in the Yankees’ failure to contend for a championship again — the bullpen.
When the trade deadline hit at the end of July, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had seen enough. He embarked on a revamp of the Yankees’ bullpen, reaching deep into the club’s farm system to deal nine prospects for three relief arms in separate deals.
Now, a deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Friday looms for the Yankees to decide what to do with the costliest of those three bullpen acquisitions, as they decide whether to embark on another full-scale overhaul of their relief corps.
Bullpen Remained a Problem After Trades
In the end, how much good Cashman did with his bullpen shopping spree is highly debatable. The Yankees still finished 23rd overall in bullpen ERA across all of Major League Baseball. Yankees relievers gave up 75 home runs, 13th-most in baseball, over 566 2/3 innings.
The .236 opponents’ batting average allowed was a somewhat more respectable 10th overall — but still not what would be expected from a championship contender.
The Yankees traded four of those prospects to the San Francisco Giants for one relief ace, 28-year-old closer Camilo Doval, who just two years earlier saved a National League-leading 39 games for the Giants.
Doval saw his save total drop to 23 in 2024, and his ERA jump from 2.93 to 4.88. The Yamasa, Dominican Republic, native was working toward revitalizing his career in 2025, with 15 saves for San Francisco and a 3.09 ERA when he was traded to the Yankees. But after making the move to the Bronx, things started to fall apart for Doval again.
Doval Struggled in Pinstripes
With an estimated salary for next season estimated at $6.6 million, according to a mathematical formula created by MLB Trade Rumors, the Yankees will want better than the 4.82 ERA they got out of Doval, who was used primarily as a setup man in New York. The closer’s job went instead to another deadline acquisition, David Bednar, who was traded to New York from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 18 2/3 innings over 22 games, Doval had only one save while allowing 19 hits and 11 walks while striking out 22.
“His stuff’s really good, obviously, just again it’s strike-throwing. That next level of strike-throwing that allows you to be really, really good, and really, really sharp out there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Doval in August, after the former Giant had allowed runs in three straight appearances. “Just not quite as sharp as when he’s at his best.”
Yankees Must Decide Doval’s Fate by Friday
Eligible for his second year of arbitration, Doval will command a significant raise over the $4.2 million he pulled in this year between the Giants and Yankees. While
The Yankees now have until 8 p.m. ET on Friday to decide whether Doval is worth keeping around at those prices. The deadline is when all teams must decide whether they will tender contract offers to their arbitration-eligible players, or simply let them walk away as free agents.
Doval would otherwise not be eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season.
