With Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin opting to keep Robert Williams III and, to a lesser extent, Duop Reath past the trade deadline, the likelihood of moving off Deandre Ayton this summer has only increased. Portland doesn't need to roster four centers, three of whom are starting-caliber.
Ayton, currently sidelined with a left calf strain, is set to be re-evaluated in three weeks. Although he remains the Blazers' starting center when healthy, he has felt like the odd man out ever since Portland selected Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick last summer.
The Blazers should want to build around Clingan as their future starting center. His elite rebounding and rim protection give Portland a defensive element that Ayton can't offer. Not only is Clingan arguably already more impactful because of his defensive impact, but he's also six years younger and roughly $27 million cheaper this year.
Ideally, Cronin would have addressed this logjam at the deadline. However, moving Ayton midseason was always going to be difficult as his massive $34 million contract limited the number of teams that could realistically take him on, especially under the new CBA.
Trading Deandre Ayton this summer is the next move for the Blazers
But there's more promise surrounding the Blazers potentially trading their big man this coming summer. Not only will Ayton be on an expiring deal next season, but teams can also exceed the regular-season 15-man roster limit, creating more financial flexibility.
Besides the obvious fact that Portland couldn't trade him, there were two reasons why it was fine that Ayton was still on the roster after the deadline. For one, Clingan still needs to ramp up his conditioning to handle starter-level minutes consistently. Additionally, Ayton provides the Blazers with a different offensive skill set, particularly in the midrange, an area Clingan still needs to improve.
However, these two reasons may not be as significant as initially thought. Clingan has had the best two-game stretch of his young career in Ayton's absence. He's coming off a dominant 17-point, 20-rebound performance in 31 minutes against Denver, proving he's more capable of stepping into a larger role. If Clingan maintains this offensive output, he has a legitimate chance to catch up in the Rookie of the Year race.
We always knew Clingan had the talent; it was just a matter of whether he'd be ready for a starting role as a rookie. Now, he's showing he is. And with Portland's frontcourt already overcrowded, Ayton looks more expendable than ever.