Insider Reveals Dramatic Deandre Ayton Issues That Inspired Trail Blazers Buyout

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 5:16 PM ET

An insider has revealed the dramatic issues that inspired the Portland Trail Blazers to negotiate a buyout with starting center Deandre Ayton.

After failing to unload Ayton's expiring $35.6 million salary for 2025-26 via trade, Portland opted to negotiate a contract buyout with the 26-year-old instead, as the club looks to reset its culture around young big men Donovan Clingan and rookie Yang Hansen, plus perennially hurt Robert Williams III and little-used vet Duop Reath.

The 7-foot Ayton, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Arizona ahead of future All-NBA stars Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trae Young and Jaren Jackson Jr., had been a useful starting center on the Phoenix Suns squad that advanced to the 2021 NBA Finals, but after a steroid suspension and chemistry issues saw himself shipped off to Portland by 2023.

Ayton seemed largely disengaged during his two seasons in Portland defensively, although he did put up solid stat lines.

In two years with Portland, Ayton averaged 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks a night. He also missed a ton of time, sitting out for 27 and 42 games in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.

Ultimately, Ayton gave back $10 million in the buyout deal he negotiated with the Trail Blazers, sources inform Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

Sources: Deandre Ayton's contract buyout with Portland forfeited $10 million of his $35.6 million 2025-26 salary.

More NBA from @TheSteinLine: https://t.co/UhCV56RsoZ
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 30, 2025

Per The Athletic's Jason Quick, there were some serious behind-the-scenes issues that inspired Portland to move on from its priciest player this summer.

Deandre Ayton’s departure in Portland is best explained by a quote on the wall of Chauncey Billups’ office. https://t.co/9hZrejDppx
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 1, 2025

Quick notes that Portland didn't mind Ayton's health issues.

"But in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways," Quick writes. "The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort."

The veteran big man is still considered a hot commodity on the center free agent market, especially with Myles Turner, Brook Lopez and Clint Capela now all off the board. Western Conference contenders like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers see like natural fits.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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