Think you will keep Ayton or try and trade him?

[bwgood77]

He's looking pretty good now that you run a faster more instinctual offense. He always plays much better when he can play on instinct rather than in a methodical offense. CP3 helped him at first but after a while getting into his ear so much he started to overthink things, freeze, afraid to make mistakes, and almost would have paralysis by analysis.

He seems to have good chemistry now. He obviously makes a lot this next season but would probably sign for less next season. Though you could probably trade him to Charlotte or maybe New Orleans or something, and of course you have Clingan.

[Sinobas]

I think we'll have Ayton through the remainder of his contract. If he continues to play well, I can see the Blazers attempting to retain him, but at a reduced price. Say 3 years 60 mil.

[HoopsFanAZ]

It’s a good question and description of his time in Phoenix (minus the drama and non-relationship with Monty Williams).

As a good, not great, center. As a very good midrange shooter, good rebounder mostly, with real athleticism BUT a non free throw shooter. Active and not active. … DA is a mix of like it — don’t like it. Seems like a good guy.

I’ve asked others about Ayton playing a bit less than half of his minutes (14-16) at the 4 with 18 or so at the 5. The response is Ayton would like to play PF and that reportedly Billups wants him to hit the 3 if he’s to do it. With TimeLord playing beside Donovan already, perhaps that works with Ayton (but one or the other).

A lower salary for Ayton could find favor. $20M per year? Absolutely. $25M. Okay.

[PDXKnight]

^Yeah I think its all about dollar amount whether i can live with it. Personally 15-20 million on a 2 + 1 or 3 + 1 (with a to on year 3/4) feels like a good limit to me and I'm not offering ayton or any of our expirings before the 2026 deadline as I want to see the value of any expiring contracts before we lock up money (if we can get a good package for expiring money we will regret locking up all that cash)

My personal opinion, and it's just mine, regardless of the money unless its a bargain basement deal just let Ayton go. I dont think he or ant do anything that special, Ayton isn't a defensive specialist and ant is a defensive Liability. We should save our arrows for Scoot/Sharpe/toumani/clingan extensions along with unbalanced trades that can land us draft capital and potential stop gap players when teams want to dump salary.

[bwgood77]

It’s a good question and description of his time in Phoenix (minus the drama and non-relationship with Monty Williams).

As a good, not great, center. As a very good midrange shooter, good rebounder mostly, with real athleticism BUT a non free throw shooter. Active and not active. … DA is a mix of like it — don’t like it. Seems like a good guy.

I’ve asked others about Ayton playing a bit less than half of his minutes (14-16) at the 4 with 18 or so at the 5. The response is Ayton would like to play PF and that reportedly Billups wants him to hit the 3 if he’s to do it. With TimeLord playing beside Donovan already, perhaps that works with Ayton (but one or the other).

A lower salary for Ayton could find favor. $20M per year? Absolutely. $25M. Okay.

Yeah, I've always thought as good as a shooter as he's been from everywhere else at times, it shouldn't be that hard to develop a good 3 pt shot. Just needs a little more arc maybe.

[GreenRiddler]

I think we try and trade him next year. Just doesn't fit what we need and has had plenty of time to show the type of player he is I don't think that it is worth the cap hit to keep him when we have other guys to pay (Sharpe Camara) and a really great prospect in Clingan who can fit our core's needs better as a defensive backstop with potential as a passer/floor spacer.

Hopefully we can get some good assets for him either this summer if we sell high or next trade deadline. I can see the Hornets as a potential peice I really think he'd fit well there and we would love a shooter like Dalton

[JasonStern]

Nobody has any idea what Cronin and the Vulcans have planned.
Motivated DominAyton is awesome. Question is how long does that last?
Contract and fit make him have few suitors. And even with recent play, what could he return in a trade to justify trading him?
He's supposedly a great locker room guy that enjoys playing in Portland.
Letting him walk in free agency isn't losing him for nothing. It's freeing up $35.5M in cap space. Or if he could be retained on a more reasonable contract, that'd be awesome. Shame there's no "we will pay good Ayton $X per game and bad Ayton $Y per game" style contract.

[PDXKnight]

^ Right.

That extra money can be used plenty of ways whether it's unbalanced trades of expirings/cap space for bad contracts with picks attached, fa signing, or just player retention. I think unbalanced trades are a route we need to be better about using if we care about building up future trade assets for whatever direction we end up going. This current nba is clearly proving a team willing to take on dead money can reap plenty of reward

[Norm2953]

Let's see him finish the season.

It'll be interesting if they decide to extend him for he'd have to take a pay cut to stay in Portland.

[DusterBuster]

With the Mark Williams trade to the Lakers rescinded, if I were the Blazers, I would try and get a similar deal to that for Ayton in the summer.

[Norm2953]

I think Ayton would be the first choice for the lakers, especially since he's an expiring
contract. Fits the new Lakers timeline with Doncic for if he stinks, they can let him walk.

[PDXKnight]

With the Mark Williams trade to the Lakers rescinded, if I were the Blazers, I would try and get a similar deal to that for Ayton in the summer.

Yeah Ayton has to be of some interest to them you'd think. I bet if we took Vanderbilt's dead money in the trade we could squeeze 2 firsts out of them. Something like jared vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent & kleber + 2 firsts for DeAndre Ayton works especially in the off season when it's easier to do unbalanced deals

[Tim Lehrbach]

Let him walk.

[PDXKnight]

Let's see him finish the season.

It'll be interesting if they decide to extend him for he'd have to take a pay cut to stay in Portland.

If we extend him before the 2026 deadline we are going above and beyond to limit our options. Even if we are dead set on resigning DA I hope we wait just in case a team is willing to pay a kings ransom for an expiring contract like they were this February.

[Runner300]

I mean, depending on the timeline shift.
If the goal is rebuild and development, then trade him for any pick.
If the goal is play in , then keep him and if possible resign him now and add some vitamin M.

[Wizenheimer]

I don't care how many mid-range shots Ayton sinks, I detest him as a modern NBA C. He's a poor rim protector, a mediocre paint defender, a terrible passer out of the post, and doesn't get to the FT line. He's not even the best rebounder on the team. There isn't much to like and a lot to not like, especially his albatross salary

Which means that Cronin will probably re-sign him for 35-40M/year.

[tester551]

^Yeah I think its all about dollar amount whether i can live with it. Personally 15-20 million on a 2 + 1 or 3 + 1 (with a to on year 3/4) feels like a good limit to me and I'm not offering ayton or any of our expirings before the 2026 deadline as I want to see the value of any expiring contracts before we lock up money (if we can get a good package for expiring money we will regret locking up all that cash)

This is the correct valuation for Ayton

[JRoy]

Hope that his run of solid play fools another him into thinking he’s the real deal.

He isn’t and it would great if he were some other teams problem.

[PDXKnight]

Hope that his run of solid play fools another him into thinking he’s the real deal.

He isn’t and it would great if he were some other teams problem.

Wouldn't be so great if Cronin was the one being fooled..

[Wizenheimer]

Hope that his run of solid play fools another him into thinking he’s the real deal.

He isn’t and it would great if he were some other teams problem.

Wouldn't be so great if Cronin was the one being fooled..

he already was

substantial rumors that he coveted Ayton for 2 years before landing him in the Dame trade

I'm anticipating Cronin will re-sign him and it wouldn't be for 15-20M/year. Be at least what he's making right now