The Nuggets have been dying to add a solid backup big man for ages, and they may have just been gifted that opportunity as the Trail Blazers shockingly have agreed to buy Deandre Ayton out of his contract. Ayton will officially hit waivers on Monday at 5 PM EST, and will clear waivers on Wednesday at 5.
Breaking: Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/DNYcNqRvkW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
Assuming nobody claims Ayton off waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday evening, free to sign with any team in the league. He was due to make over $35 million next season, a number that would have made him very difficult to trade.
After the Blazers drafted center Yang Hansen last Wednesday, they created a logjam at center. They drafted Donovan Clingan in the lottery last season, and still had Ayton and Robert Williams on the roster. Those are four centers who have no ability to play any other position. Something had to give, and apparently that something was waiving Ayton.
Ayton would be best backup Jokic has ever had
Ayton has had his issues over the years and has never lived up to this contract, but now that he’s a free agent with a chip on his shoulder, he could be a perfect addition. The Nuggets can offer Deandre the taxpayer midlevel exception, roughly $5.7 million a year, to backup Jokic and restore his value.
Ayton was drafted first overall in 2018 by the Suns and helped lead the team to the NBA Finals in 2021. But Phoenix went in a different direction, blowing up their Finals team to create a “big 3” of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant. That led to Ayton being traded to Portland, where he has played an uninspiring two seasons.
While he hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype of a number one overall draft pick, Ayton is still a solid NBA center. He can score in the post, rebound the ball, and hold his own defensively, protecting the rim. He has also struggled to stay on the floor, but taking on a smaller, backup role would allow him to thrive in shorter bursts.
The Nuggets' backup big man situation has been a disaster for years, trotting out the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Zeke Nnaji, and Dario Saric, guys who shouldn't be getting minutes for an NBA team.
We’ll see if DA is actually able to take that big of a pay cut and settle for a backup role, but this must be a humbling experience. He needs to revive his career, and what better way to do that than by being an understudy for the best center in the league.