Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan suffered an ankle injury in Portland's 132-114 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. It was a mild left ankle sprain, and he will be re-evaluated next week, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Luckily, it's minor, but the injury is unfortunate timing as Clingan finally recovered from his knee sprain and was back to being his impactful self, particularly on the defensive end.
When he's playing at that level, it's apparent that the 20-year-old Clingan is the Blazers' future starting center. Portland invested a top-ten pick in Clingan due to his elite rebounding and rim protection, and he's been as advertised in those two areas. While his offense still has room to grow, Clingan possesses All-Defensive Team upside, and that alone should make him the starter going forward.
At the time of the selection, many wondered what Deandre Ayton's long-term fit on the roster would look like. And the need to trade Ayton has become increasingly apparent almost halfway through the 2024-25 season.
Clingan has already shown enough for the Blazers to move off of Ayton, especially since he is on his rookie deal and Ayton is owed roughly $70 million over the next two seasons. Adding to that is the frustrating inconsistency surrounding Ayton's effort. It seems like a matter of when, not if, Ayton is no longer a member of the Blazers due to these various factors.
Deandre Ayton's contract is difficult to justify or trade before the deadline
However, the Ayton saga may not be resolved by the Feb. 6 deadline, as his massive contract makes it difficult to find suitors and make a deal work financially. Highkin highlighted in his trade primer (subscription required) that, although Jerami Grant -- owed $29.8 million this season -- is paid similarly to Ayton, he's more likely to be moved before the deadline, with an Ayton deal more likely to happen in the summer.
"If there's a player the Blazers have that will be worth the effort on both sides to put together that kind of multiple-players-for-one deal, it will be Grant. In the offseason, Ayton becomes an expiring contract, and during the summer, you're allowed to have more than 15 players under contract, so it becomes much easier to find a taker and match salary," wrote Highkin.
Revisiting the three-team Bucks-Blazers-Suns deal that Damian Lillard headlined, it's surprising that Toumani Camara has emerged as the clear-cut better return from Phoenix rather than Ayton. The Blazers are at a point where Camara is not only clearly the more valuable asset, but Ayton has turned into someone who will be challenging to move, as his lack of defense and overall energy makes it hard to justify the massive contract.
Hopefully, the Blazers can find a deal for Ayton this summer and start building around Clingan.