The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired center Deandre Ayton and forward Toumani Camara from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for guard Keon Johnson, forward Nassir Little and center Jusuf Nurkic, the team announced today. Additionally, Portland acquired Jrue Holiday, a 2029 first round pick and the right to swap first round picks in 2028 and 2030 from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Damian Lillard. Milwaukee also sends guard Grayson Allen to Phoenix.
“On behalf of the entire Portland Trail Blazers Organization, I want to express my gratitude to Damian for 11 storied years with this franchise and for his loyalty to the Portland community,” said General Manager Joe Cronin. “From becoming the all-time leading points scorer in franchise history to his dedicated commitment to youth across Oregon and the entire Pacific Northwest, Damian is and will remain a titan and a true trailblazer to this city.”
“I would also like to thank Jusuf Nurkic for his devotion to Portland these last seven seasons,” said Cronin. “A consummate professional on and off the court, Nurk has been a key leader for this team, and we appreciate his dedication and passion for this franchise, the city, and the fans.”
Nurkic, 29, averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field across 52 games. He signed a four-year, $70 million extension with the Blazers last summer, meaning he has three more years left on his contract. Nurkic is not particularly the most mobile or defensive-minded center, with the majority of his efficiency coming from his scoring and passing in the post, along with his rebounding.
Ayton looked like a future All-NBA center during the 2021 postseason run, seemingly content with his role as a defensive-minded rim-roller who was only sporadically a featured player in the Phoenix offense. That following summer, however, Ayton was forced to watch as other notable players from his draft class like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Michael Porter Jr. signed max extensions. The Suns failed to offer Ayton a max deal, and the rumblings of his discontent grew louder when he announced at the start 2021-22 training camp that he hadn't spoken to then-head coach Monty Williams over the entire summer.
It really all comes back to that, in the end. Deandre Ayton is a good player who is dissatisfied with what his career has yielded him so far. No all-NBA teams, no all-star nods, a backseat to Devin Booker in the press. A constant and unending unfavorable comparison to Luka Doncic, his draft classmate who has accumulated such honors and made himself one of the most marketable stars in the NBA today.
It’s within Ayton’s power to flip the narrative, but he has spent his career to this point choosing to view himself as more of a victim of circumstance than as a master of his own destiny.
Until that changes, he will remain where he is, on that tier of players you’d like to have but can live without.
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