The Portland Trail Blazers have a unique roster construction consisting of both youth and veterans. They have several players on rookie-scale deals and arguably the best contract in the association in Deni Avdija. Because of that youth, they've been able to get away with overpaying for some of these veterans that haven't provided enough value to justify their contracts.
Fortunately, Portland's financial outlook has improved in 2026, as these players are now either elsewhere, in the midst of a resurgent season, or on an expiring contract.
Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton was the highest-paid player on the Blazers roster last season, at $34 million. That was over $4 million more than the next closest, Jerami Grant (don't worry, we'll get to him next). Safe to say if Ayton is the highest-paid player on your team, you are not a playoff team.
The silver lining is that Portland was able to get Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his 2025-26 salary in a buyout agreement. He's now on a much more reasonable two-year, $16.2 million deal, though many Los Angeles Lakers fans are wondering if he's even worth that amount after their recent taste of the "Deandre Ayton experience."
Jerami Grant
Grant was not himself in 2025. He had the worst season in his four years as a Blazer, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting an inefficient 37.3% from the field. Given the one-dimensionality of his game as someone who doesn't provide much in the rebounding or playmaking departments, that poor shooting efficiency led to a disastrous season.
In retrospect, the Blazers would've been better off trading Grant earlier. At least he's having a bounce-back 2025-26 campaign, proving that last season was a fluke and not the result of declining play that's here to stay.
That raises the question of whether the Blazers should finally trade Grant now that his value has relatively increased. Either way, it's a promising development for one of Portland's most expensive assets.
Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle
Time Lord logged just 20 games played in the 2024-25 season. Matisse Thybulle played 15. Portland's two defensive veterans combined for roughly $23.4 million and 30 games, or $780K a game. Must be nice.
When healthy, they're perfect fits for the Blazers newfound defensive identity. But unfortunately, that's something that Portland can no longer rely on. With both players on expiring deals, the Blazers could look to trade either by the Feb. 5 deadline to find more consistent options.