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- Reports: Blazers C Deandre Ayton to be free agent after buyout</p>
<p>Field Level MediaJune 30, 2025 at 12:09 AM</p>
<p>Feb 3, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) reacts after helping secure a 121-119 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images (Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images)</p>
<p>The Portland Trail Blazers will buy out the final year of center Deandre Ayton's contract and make him a free agent, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday night.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>ESPN first reported news of the buyout on Sunday night.</p>
<p>--Field Level Media</p>
Source: AOL Sports
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