The first overall pick of the 2018 Draft, Ayton has averaged over 10 rebounds per game in each of his seven seasons in the league. He played a key role with his first team, the Phoenix Suns, reaching the NBA Finals in 2021 where they lost to the eventual-champion Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

There was no calm before the storm that's already the 2025 NBA offseason. The winds started whipping up during the Finals, and it feels like we get more thunderous news on the player movement front every day.

The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to buy out the final year of center Deandre Ayton’s contract, making him a free agent, an NBA source has confirmed to the Oregonian/OregonLive. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news Sunday night.