Intriguing Trade Partner Pitched to Offload Deandre Ayton

Portland Trail Blazers starting center Deandre Ayton didn't have the "DominAyton" debut season in Rip City that he was perhaps expecting, upon being traded to the team from the Phoenix Suns last summer.

But after a bumpy start (and some major health hiccups), he at least stabilized a bit. For the year, the 7-foot Arizona product averaged 16.7 points on 57 percent field goal shooting and 82.3 percent free throw shooting, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks a night, while appearing in just 55 contests.

Still, Portland finished with the worst record in the West, 21-61, in its third consecutive lottery-bound season. The 25-year-old Ayton's $34 million cap hit for 2024-25 might be an unnecessary burden to bear for a team that just drafted a center in former UConn Huskies champ Donovan Clingan and has his presumed backup, Duop Reath, on a rookie-scale deal following a breakout 2023-24 NBA debut season.

During a new appearance on "The Bill Simmons Report," The Ringer's Ryen Russillo submitted the notion of an intriguing potential new trade destination for Ayton: the New Orleans Pelicans, whose starting center Jonas Valanciunas fled town for a three-year, $30 million contract with the lowly Washington Wizards.

New Orleans, however, seems to be hoping to move on from sharpshooting small forward Brandon Ingram, another solid player in his prime on a sizable deal. Perhaps a three-team trade to facilitate an Ayton move and an Ingram change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered, however.