Deandre Ayton will be trying for a new team.
Ayton and the Trail Blazers are finalizing a contract buyout in a shock transfer, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported late Sunday evening.
The transfer comes following a season in which the 26-year-old averaged 14.4 factors, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks while capturing 56.6 % from the subject.
The Trail Blazers bout out Deandre Ayton’s contract. Getty Images
This had been his second season with the Trail Blazers after he was acquired in 2023 in a deal with the Suns as half of the three-way Damian Lillard commerce.
“This gives Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick who went to the NBA Finals with the Suns, the chance to receive a fresh opportunity as the Trail Blazers build around their depth of young centers,” Charania reported.
Ayton had $35.6 million left on his contract, which would have expired next summer season.
The former first-overall decide is free to signal with any team now, though any thought of a reunion with the Suns doesn’t seem lifelike.
PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet reported that the Suns have “zero interest” in bringing Ayton back.
Ayton was chosen with the No. 1 general decide by the Suns in 2018 and was half of the Phoenix squad that helped the team attain the NBA Finals in 2021.
Deandre Ayton performed two seasons with the Trail Blazers. Getty Images
The determination to half methods comes at a time when the Trail Blazers had a crowded middle place after taking massive males in the last two NBA drafts.
Portland chosen Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 general decide in 2024 and Yang Hansen with the sixteenth general decide in last week’s draft.
Robert Williams III and Duop Reath are both under contract for the Trail Blazers, leaving issues a bit murky for Ayton had he stayed.
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