The Portland Trail Blazers were already making moves in the wake of the draft just four days ago; on June 29, Portland opted to buy out DeAndre Ayton's remaining contract year, officially making him a free agent.
To say it's a stunner is something of an understatement; while the center rotation in Portland appeared to be over capacity, it's at least a bit baffling that Ayton was the player who was the odd man out.
Why did the Blazers part ways with their starting center?
This move almost certainly appears to be connected to the Blazers' 16th draft pick Yang Hansen, chosen in the June 25 event, a center joining a rotation that already included Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Duop Reath.
Following in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding the initial draft moment, head coach Chauncey Billups and general manager Joe Cronin held a press conference where they talked about why the team had chosen Yang and the scouting process behind the pick. Among those various sound bytes was one that laid the foundation for getting out of Ayton's deal as soon as possible:
"I'd feel very comfortable putting him in a game right now. He's that good," said Billups of Yang.
That is some extremely high praise for the rookie and seems to make the vision for Yang's future much clearer. Something less clear, however, is the value of an expiring contract in today's NBA marketplace. While Ayton's fit with the team has been questioned at times, he has value in the right situation. With only one year left on his deal, it's a little telling that a handful of teams in dire need of frontcourt help weren't willing to cough up assets to take on a salary that large.
The new CBA is causing teams to increasingly tighten their belts even for a rental. In that kind of environment—especially one in which all prospective trading partners know the Blazers cup runneth over with centers—it perhaps makes more sense to rip the Band-Aid off.