Former Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton reportedly gave up $10 million of the $35.6 million he was owed in the final year of his contract as part of his buyout agreement with the Blazers, according to NBA reporter Jake Fischer.

New Report on Deandre Ayton, Lakers After Buyout originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Portland Trail Blazers certainly shocked everyone when ESPN's Shams Charania reported that they were finalizing a buyout with former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton. Players who are as young as Ayton and get paid as much as he does don't typically get bought out.

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.