Deandre Ayton Reportedly Finalizing Trail Blazers Contract Buyout to Become Free Agent

Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Ayton approached Portland about a buyout and "wanting to play in a winning situation," Charania added. He will be free to sign with any team despite earning more than $14.1 million, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne noted that Ayton has to clear waivers in 48 hours and that "it's very hard to trade a player making as much as he does." Teams in need of center help are expected "to be very active" with Ayton, Shelburne added.

The veteran big man had $35.6 million left on an expiring $133 million contract he signed in 2022 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. As a member of the Blazers, he averaged 15.7 points on 56.9 percent shooting along with 10.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.

Following his career in Phoenix, landing in Portland on a team in a rebuild offered Ayton a much-needed change of scenery and a low-stakes atmosphere where he might be able to shift the general narrative around his career. It was staggering how quickly he went from a key player on an NBA Finals runner-up to one locked in a bitter contract dispute with the same team before eventually being cast aside.

Ayton was unable to use the Blazers to help improve the broad impressions about him.

Granted, he found himself behind the curve early into his Blazers tenure.

Training camp was only a few days away when the Suns shipped him out, so he didn't have much time to mesh with his new teammates. That he was apparently sleeping on an air mattress early into his tenure is a reminder of the logistical hurdles a trade at such a late stage of the offseason can create.

The Blazers' new-look backcourt sans Damian Lillard didn't do the big man any favors, either. They finished last in both assist rate (58.7 percent) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52) in 2023-24, per NBA.com. Scoot Henderson struggled mightily as a rookie, while the more experienced combo of Anfernee Simons and Malcolm Brogdon combined to play just 85 games.

When a traditional center such as Ayton can't rely on consistent guard play, it's going to adversely affect his game.

Based on an account in February 2024 from The Athletic's Jason Quick, the problems may have run much deeper.

"Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums according to team sources," Quick reported. "And there has been an eerie resemblance to Hassan Whiteside, the former Blazers' center whose statistics looked nice, but had little to no impact on a game."

To Quick's point, Ayton's scoring average after the All-Star break was 22.7 points, up significantly from the 13.8 points he averaged in the first half. That nonetheless didn't translate into many wins for Portland as it went went 6-22 and owned the NBA's fourth-worst net rating (minus-9.4), per NBA.com, from mid-February on.

"What I showed you guys the second half of the season is what I've been trying to show my whole career," Ayton told reporters in his exit interview.

Others would counter that putting up big numbers on a bad team doesn't reveal all that much.

His longstanding skeptics will feel emboldened by the fact he'll be headed elsewhere. Given his age, he could've been a long-term building block for the Blazers and somebody who contributed to the next iteration of the roster contends for the playoffs.

Instead, he'll be free to sign wherever he pleases.

The ship has in all likelihood sailed on Ayton proving himself as not only an elite center but also one who can play a starring role on a title contender.