Deandre Ayton became one of the most talented big men on the free-agent market when he recently finalized a buyout agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers, but teams that have interest in the former No. 1 overall pick will have to look past his character concerns.
Ayton reached a buyout agreement with the Blazers over the weekend. He was set to make $35.6 in the final season of a deal he signed back in 2022. Since the buyout occurred before the start of next season, second-apron restrictions will not prevent teams from signing Ayton.
Jason Quick of The Athletic published a story on Monday night that included some details about what went wrong for Ayton in Portland. According to the reporter, the Trail Blazers were willing to look past Ayton’s erratic shooting, inconsistent defense and injury concerns. The team grew tired of the off-court issues, however.
“The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort,” Quick wrote.
There was a similar report about Ayton more than a year ago, so teams will not be surprised. He also never lived up to his full potential with the Phoenix Suns and was plagued by non-basketball issues there as well.
Ayton, who will turn 27 later this month, averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds across 40 games this season. He was immediately linked to one team upon being bought out.
