Trail Blazers will be paying Ayton's salary this year while he plays for another team

Portland unable to find a taker for the centerpiece of the Damian Lillard trade

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

It appears that Deandre Ayton, the centerpiece of the Damian Lillard trade, wasn’t much of an asset after all. Yes, he helped the team win a few games over the last few seasons, when winning really wasn’t the point.

But as a trade asset? Forget about it. A lot of people suggested on social media that I had lost my marbles when I wrote that Portland would likely have to package a first-round draft pick to get a team to take him.

But here we are, in an even more embarrassing position. It has been reported by several media outlets Sunday night that the Trail Blazers are buying him out of the final season of his contract.