The Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a contract buyout with their former starting center Deandre Ayton this summer. Ayton forfeited $10 million of his $35.6 million salary, but he landed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $16.6 million deal including a player option for the 2026-27 season.
These moves are in the best interest of everyone involved. Most importantly, the Blazers now clear the path for their recent first-round picks, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen.
Deandre Ayton's buyout worked out perfectly
The "DominAyton" experiment in Portland largely didn't go to plan, as he was less impactful and consistent than his numbers (14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds) would indicate. Ayton now gets another fresh start in Los Angeles, a perfect landing spot for him. As the playoffs showed, the Lakers had a massive hole to fill at the center spot. Ayton will get every opportunity to showcase his talent, and Luka Doncic and LeBron James -- two of the game's best passers -- will help unlock the former No. 1 overall pick.
Meanwhile, the Blazers wash their hands of Ayton, who had a few instances that were not ideal for a developing roster. They cut salary from Ayton's deal, get off his contract entirely next summer, and still have All-Defense wing Toumani Camara left to make their Jusuf Nurkic deal with the Phoenix Suns (part of the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade) still a major fleece.
Blazers want to win with their young core leading the way
This move comes at an ideal time as it allows the Blazers to evaluate what they have in both centers. The most pressing question is whether or not they can effectively play alongside each other. The double big lineups have made a resurgence around the league, with teams like the Houston Rockets using Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun effectively implementing it in their playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
There are similarities between the center duos. Clingan and Adams provide similar physical tools as immovable objects anchoring the paint, while Hansen and Sengun have a more finesse style of play with their footwork and elite court vision. That's what Portland's frontcourt could eventually become should they decide to keep both centers around, with their version offering better floor spacing.
The massive elephant in the room? Hansen is nowhere close to the first-time All-Star Sengun.
Hansen's impressive summer league play proved that Portland's front office is at least onto something with this unconventional pick. It's possible they just drafted an All-Star this summer. However, the next step in their rebuilding process is seeing their pick through, giving Hansen a runway to have an immediate role and live with the inevitable growing pains.
Portland recognized this and moved on from Ayton at the perfect time.