Trail Blazers agree to buy out Deandre Ayton

Trail Blazers agree to buyout Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton has agreed to a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Sunday evening.

Breaking: Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/DNYcNqRvkW

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

The former No. 1 overall pick was entering the final year of his four-year, $133 million deal with a $35.6 million cap hit.

Since this occurred in the offseason and not the regular season, any NBA team can sign Ayton once he clears waivers. Normally, only teams that were above either tax apron were not able to sign players off the buyout market if their previous salary was above the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (~$14.1 million in 2025-26).

Ayton, who turns 27-years-old in July, dealt with a calf strain for much of the season, limiting him to just 40 games. He had one of the worst seasons of his career, averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds on 58.3 percent true shooting. It was a bad season, and as time went on, it became more clear that his time in Portland was coming to an end.

Derik Queen vows that Joe Dumars will look like ‘a genius’ amid draft night disaster

I still can’t believe the Trail Blazers drafted Hansen Yang No. 16 overall, but he added to the bevy of centers Portland already had. They drafted Donovan Clingan to be the center of the future, and he looked the part. It was only a matter of time before Ayton was redirected, though I’m sure the consensus believed it would be as a trade and not through a buyout, even after the disappointing season.

Now, Chauncey Billups has a center rotation of Clingan, Robert Williams, Duop Reath and Yang to parse through!

We’ll see what team signs Ayton in the buyout market. My guess is the Lakers because of their desperate need for a center, but I’m curious to see if he has any sort of market.

***

Click Here for more NBA Content

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out the Vendetta Shop

Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests