The Portland Trail Blazers were hoping that former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton would benefit from a change of scenery coming over from Phoenix to Portland. It had the opposite effect, as Ayton had an underwhelming two seasons with the Blazers. He's coming off a career low in points (14.4 per game). That lack of productivity, combined with Portland investing consecutive first-round picks at the center position, ultimately led to the Blazers buying Ayton out, who landed with the Los Angeles Lakers shortly after.
But was Ayton really the problem in Portland?
Ayton is a starting-caliber center, and the talent is clearly still there for someone who's in his prime at 27 years old. So why didn't things go according to plan in Portland? Comparing his situation in Phoenix to his situation in Portland, it's evident that the answer lies in playmaking.
Portland's lack of playmaking set Deandre Ayton up for failure
Ayton was at his best when he was with the Suns, playing with pick-and-roll maestro and floor general Chris Paul. That's precisely why Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is confident that the Luka Doncic-Ayton pairing will work. Ayton has already shown that he's capable of holding up his end of the bargain.
JJ Redick says he has high hopes for the two-man game we’ll see with Luka and Deandre Ayton, noting how much of an education Ayton got spending so much time with someone as smart/detail-oriented as Chris Paul.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 25, 2025
Ultimately, it was in Portland's best interest to move on from Ayton. They strategically cleared the path for promising centers Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen while also getting Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his salary for the upcoming season. But at the same time, the Blazers must realize that their problems aren't solved with Ayton out of the picture, and this isn't a case of addition by subtraction.
As long as Portland's playmaking concerns aren't addressed in the backcourt, it won't really matter who is on the receiving end of those passes. This issue could become even more problematic with Anfernee Simons now in Boston, who had the best assist-to-turnover ratio and was an underrated playmaker as a combo guard. Considering Clingan is also overly reliant on being set up on the offensive end at this stage in his career, it's easy to see a scenario in which the Blazers' offense takes a step backward in the 2025-26 season.
The Lakers are about to unlock the player Portland never could. And when they do, the Blazers will realize that playmaking -- not Ayton -- was the actual problem.