Deandre Ayton is one of the most talented players on the Portland Trail Blazers' roster. A former No. 1 overall pick who has an exceptional touch for a seven-footer, Ayton finishes at a 72.5 percent rate around the rim and 51.1 percent from midrange. He's also a walking double-double most nights, averaging at least ten rebounds a game every season in his seven-year career.
That said, the Blazers should regret trading for Ayton right now.
Although he's an above-average scorer and rebounder, Ayton doesn't provide much to impact winning in other aspects of his game. This season, Ayton is averaging a career-low 13.9 points along with 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks on 57/21/61 shooting splits. Offensively, he tends to have tunnel vision and is limited as a playmaker.
Despite his willingness to take them occasionally, he has yet to knock down three-pointers consistently. For as great as Ayton is in the midrange, it's not analytically sound to have a big man who can't shoot threes or protect the rim, and the more significant issue lies in the latter for the Blazers.
Deandre Ayton's lack of defense and energy is costing the Blazers
Ayton is a liability as a defensive anchor. He has a defensive rating of 119.1, which ranks 490th in the NBA. His one block per game also ranks tied for 30th in the league.
Blocks only paint part of the picture on defense, as a big man can still be a solid defender if they force contested shots, hold their own on the perimeter, provide timely rotations, communicate, etc. But the issue is that Ayton doesn't frequently do any of these intangibles, either. Many of these, and defense in general, are tied to effort, an area in which Ayton has been inconsistent throughout his career.
The most recent example was Portland's loss to the Nets, where the Blazers surrendered 132 points. Ayton's carelessness resulted in Chauncey Billups only playing him for 24 minutes. He was also presumably called out for his lack of effort by former Blazer big man Channing Frye on X (profanity warning).
Ayton is the highest-paid player on the Portland Trail Blazers at $34 million. That contract is already an overpay relative to his impact on winning, and that's not even accounting for the fact that he doesn't give it his all on a nightly basis. His time in Portland has been far from the "DominAyton" that was advertised.
The trade with the Suns and Bucks did have a significant silver lining as it allowed the Blazers to get their hidden gem Toumani Camara, who has already solidified himself as a long-term 3-and-D member of their young core and has more room to grow on the offensive end.
It also was great that the Blazers got rid of Jusuf Nurkic, as that situation continues to unravel in Phoenix. However, considering it was a multi-team deal, perhaps Portland could have found a way to make the salaries match by taking back someone other than Ayton.