Deandre Ayton has been waived in Portland, and not because of missed shots or injuries.
The Trail Blazers waived the former No. 1 pick after negotiating a buyout, citing concerns that extended far beyond the court, according to The Athletics Jason Quick.
You can have bad plays, a sign inside coach Chauncey Billups office reads, but not bad ways.
That mindset, passed down from Billups mentor Larry Brown, says a lot about the teams decision. Portland tolerated Ayton missing time due to injuries, including playing just 55 and 40 games in his two seasons. What they couldnt tolerate was his behavior.
Per Quick, team sources said Ayton was consistently late to team flights and practices, skipped rehab sessions, and caused disruptions after being benched.
He was seen slamming chairs when subbed out, and reportedly threw tantrums in the locker room after being sidelined for poor effort.
Even public comments gave the Blazers pause. At his introductory press conference in 2023, Ayton referred to himself as Domin-Ayton. Yet, Quick noted, During the 95 times he played in Portland, he was maybe dominant in a handful of games.
His lack of self-awareness reportedly rubbed people the wrong way in both Phoenix and Portland. Im a max (contract) player and Ill continue to be a max player, Ayton once said. But inconsistent effort followed him across both franchises.
Despite early confidence from Billups, who believed he could instill work ethic, humility and professionalism, the team eventually saw it wasnt working. I didnt like his spirit in the game, Billups said after a blowout loss to Utah last December, when Ayton was benched early and stayed there the rest of the night.
Portlands decision to eat a sizable portion of Aytons contract, while trading for veteran Jrue Holiday on an even bigger deal, shows where their priorities lie. Theyre focused on mentoring young core pieces like Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and 2025 first-rounder Yang Hansen.
In the end, the Blazers didnt believe Ayton was worth the risk. As Quick put it, They admitted a mistake and cut ties.
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