Portland Trail Blazers star center DeAndre Ayton was ripped by former NBA player Eddie Johnson, who played in the league for 17 seasons as a small forward, on X (formerly Twitter).
Johnson wrote a brutally honest post on X that read, “DA has to find a way to truly fall in love with the game to match his very good skillset and if not he will become a journeyman until year 10 or 11 and be gone.”
Johnson’s post showed the honest reality of Ayton’s future in the league. Although Ayton is a solid center and player in general, the 26-year-old hasn’t reached his NBA All-Star potential in his career so far. He previously played for the Phoenix Suns from 2018 to 2023 after being drafted first overall at the 2018 NBA Draft. Read on for further insight about the Nassau, Bahamas, native.
DeAndre Ayton’s Tenure With Phoenix Suns
DeAndre Ayton played just one season at Arizona from 2017-18 before entering the 2018 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Ayton’s short college basketball career contained both successes and controversies, such as a reported wiretap of Arizona head coach Sean Miller allegedly talking to Christian Dawkins, one of the key figures in the 2017-18 NCAA Division I men’s basketball corruption scandal, to pay Ayton $100,000 to attend the university.
Ayton, a 7-foot-0 and 250-lb Bahamian big man, spent the first five seasons of his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns but wore out his welcome and perhaps became one of the Suns’ regrets. The Suns reportedly drafted him in 2018 over Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He overcame his offensive end struggles to help his then-team advance to the 2021 NBA Finals, but his consistency has dwindled.
DeAndre Ayton’s Stint With Portland Trail Blazers
DeAndre Ayton’s on-and-off struggles weren’t as noticeable until he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers on September 27, 2023, as part of a three-team trade. The Trail Blazers are a struggling team coming off a rough season, but even they appear to have had enough of the Arizona alum.
NBACentral recently posted on X that the Trail Blazers are expected to eventually trade Ayton, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. They added that at some point, the Blazers and Ayton are expected to part ways, yet the former first-overall pick doesn’t command a market at this time.
DeAndre Ayton’s Future in NBA
DeAndre Ayton is reportedly expected to be on the move once again. But Ayton and his future in the NBA remain in question. The former Arizona and Balboa City School standout fell short of the Phoenix Suns’ and now the Portland Trail Blazers’ reported expectations.
Ayton is approaching the third year of his four-year, $132.9 million contract that the Suns once matched. He’ll make $34 million in the upcoming season with the Trail Blazers for 2024-25. He’s reportedly valued as a veteran leader, but his underwhelming start to open the 2023-24 NBA season, his slow transition, and his excessive caution to avoid injuries have affected him.
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