Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) and forward Toumani Camara, right, celebrate following their team’s win over the Phoenix Suns following an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
The Portland Trail Blazers have reached an agreement to buy out the final year of Deandre Ayton’s contract and have requested waivers on him, making the center a free agent, the team announced late Sunday night.
Ayton, 26, is owed $35 million for the coming season to complete a four-year, $132 million contract that he had signed while with the Phoenix Suns, according to multiple media reports.
READ: NBA: Deandre Ayton gets revenge vs Suns, lifts Blazers to OT win
Instead, he will hit free agency on Monday and be in much higher demand than in Portland, which picked centers Donovan Clingan (No. 7 in 2024) and Yang Hansen (No. 16 in 2025) in the first round of the two most recent drafts and also has veteran Robert Williams III.
Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 40 games (all starts) last season, his second with Portland that was shortened by a season-ending left calf injury.
He is averaging for his career 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 398 regular-season games (391 starts) for the Phoenix Suns (2018-23) and Blazers.
READ: NBA: Deandre Ayton embracing fresh start with Blazers
He was third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in the 2018-19 season, when he made the All-Rookie first team. The Suns selected Ayton with the first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona.
Portland acquired him as part of a three-team trade with Milwaukee and Phoenix that sent All-Star guard Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks on Sept. 27, 2023.
ESPN first reported news of the buyout on Sunday night.
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