After being bought out following two largely underwhelming seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, free agent Deandre Ayton has found a new home with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Ayton's contract buyout with the Blazers forfeited $10 million of his $35.6 million salary for the 2025-26 season. That was just the amount that Portland needed to use their full midlevel exception of $14.1 million without dipping into the tax.
The only problem is, the Blazers haven't even used it, and most key free agents have already landed elsewhere. In other words, the Blazers had to pay $25.6 million just to no longer have him on their roster. The Blazers have dead money on their books, which hampers their ability to contend in 2026.
Deandre Ayton's departure hasn't left the Blazers in an ideal situation
Ayton reportedly approached Portland about a buyout because of his desire to play in a winning situation, according to Charania. He'll find that in Los Angeles with Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
But at that same time, Ayton needs to realize he was part of the reason Portland wasn't a winning situation. The Blazers' midseason turnaround included a stretch with Donovan Clingan starting while Ayton recovered from a left calf strain.
This is not to say that the Blazers are better heading into next season without Ayton. He's talented, no doubt. There's a reason he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 and has averaged a double-double every season since entering the league.
We would've preferred if Portland kept Ayton around for the remainder of his contract. They are still paying him an unreasonable amount; they might as well have gotten the most out of it by utilizing him as a bridge to the inevitable Donovan Clingan-Yang Hansen pairing.
This whole situation with Ayton makes Portland's Jrue Holiday trade even more confusing. A center trio of Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Hansen may not be reliable enough, given Clingan's conditioning, Williams' injury history, and the overall uncertainty surrounding Hansen. A former roster strength could quickly turn into a problematic weakness at the worst time as Portland finally looks to contend for a playoff spot.
To make matters worse, Ayton now lands with a Western Conference rival in desperate need of a center. The West continues strengthening, while Portland's additions (Holiday and Hansen) and subtractions (Anfernee Simons and Ayton) seem like a relative wash in the short term.
Ayton's departure just made it much more difficult for Portland to return to the playoffs.