The Portland Trail Blazers bought out former starting center Deandre Ayton last offseason, getting him to forfeit $10 million of his salary for the upcoming season in the process. It also cleared a starting role for Donovan Clingan, who went on to have a breakout 2025-26 season.
That decision to move on from Ayton to prioritize Clingan as the center of the future looked great for GM Joe Cronin throughout the season. After seeing how the offseason has played out, things look even more in the Blazers' favor.
Blazers were right to move on from Deandre Ayton
The Los Angeles Lakers shortly realized that Ayton wasn't their solution at center, trading him to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks. That was after Ayton picked up his $8.1 million player option for the 2026–27 season, a figure that seemed extremely reasonable for a potential backup big given the Lakers' lack of depth.
Los Angeles, like Ayton's teams before him in Phoenix and Portland, decided to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick. That's just one season after Ayton described his excitement for landing up with the Lakers, adding he was "somewhere where it counts now."
Well, there are pros and cons to the spotlight that comes from playing in such a big market like Los Angeles, and Ayton's unique personality didn't really help address concerns surrounding motor, on-court awareness, etc. It wasn't a good match for head coach JJ Redick either, which we humorously saw unfold throughout the season.
It's not fully about how Portland should feel vindicated in its Ayton buyout either. It's also about how well they've navigated the post-Ayton era to surround Clingan with depth.
Blazers prioritize Donovan Clingan, surround him with depth
Sure, the Yang Hansen pick that shocked the world still has some explaining to do. It's admittedly even more concerning after seeing how well Clingan has played, given neither can effectively play alongside the other.
The one good thing about the questionable Hansen pick is Portland is doing just fine in the frontcourt regardless. Even with concerns surrounding Yang's fit and ability to make an immediate impact, Portland has impressively surrounded Clingan with all the support he needs.
The Blazers extended Robert Williams III to a three-year, $44 million deal after proving to be healthy and impactful as one of the best backup bigs in the association last season. They've also brought under-the-radar depth additions like Branden Carlson, Micah Potter, and Jeremy Sochan into the mix this summer.
Though Ayton may have still put up starting-level numbers during his time here, the Blazers deserve credit for ultimately realizing they still needed to cut ties and embrace this new era with Clingan. It's been a far better match for the physical, defensive-minded identity Cronin wants to establish, and the amount of size and depth Portland has entering 2026-27 should give them a nightly advantage.
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