<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-trail-blazers-trade-outlook-deandre-ayton-robert-williams-iii-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/NBA-rumors-Blazers-trade-outlook-on-Deandre-Ayton-Robert-Williams-III-gets-update.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T12:23:41-08:00">November 24th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-25T14:50:23-08:00">November 25th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers seemed to still be in the middle of rebuilding their team, but they have some good, young talent on the team that is developing well. The center position is one area where they have a lot of talent, and with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-makes-first-nba-bucket-powerful-move-warriors">rise of Donovan Clingan</a>, the other two centers – Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III – may lead to a trade.</p><p>One of the questions asked is if Ayton will be the one that the Trail Blazers would be <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-from-the-c5f?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=152086116&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">willing to trade</a> instead of Williams, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>“The natural presumption is <i>yes</i> given how well Williams has played since finally being activated, but Portland’s challenge would obviously be contractual,” Stein wrote.</p><p>“Ayton is earning $34 million this season and is owed $35.6 million next season in the final year of the contract he originally received thanks to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana that was matched by Phoenix,” Stein continued. “Williams, despite his injury history, possesses a much more trade-friendly contract with only next season’s $13.3 million owed after this season’s $12.4 million.”</p><p>Out of the three centers, Ayton may be the one that has been the most underwhelming, but due to his contract, the Trail Blazers may not have a choice but to keep him.</p><h2>Donovan Clingan making early impact with Trail Blazers</h2><p>Donovan Clingan has been a great pick for the Trail Blazers, and it’s mostly for what he’s been able to do on defense. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-donovan-clingan-portland-feat-not-seen-since-bill-walton">recently surpassed one of Bill Walton’s records</a>, recording a block in 16 straight games as a rookie. Walton once held the record for 15 straight games in the 1974-75 season.</p><p>Clingan seems to be the center of the future for the Trail Blazers, and with his early impact on the court, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got more minutes on the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blazers’ trade outlook on Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III gets update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blazers-center-very-tradable-not-deandre-ayton');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Blazers-center-who-is-very-tradable-and-its-not-Deandre-Ayton.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-08T20:15:16-07:00">September 8th, 8:15pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-damian-lillard-trade-blazers-suns">Trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks</a> signaled the start of the Portland Trail Blazers’ rebuild, finally deciding to go in a new direction after languishing in the playoffs with Lillard. The new-look Blazers look to develop <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scoot-henderson-blazers-no-3-pick-2023-nba-draft">Scoot Henderson, the 2023 third overall pick</a>, even after a rookie season with several growing pains. Likewise, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-2024-nba-draft-grade-donovan-clingan">drafting big man Donovan Clingan seventh overall</a> in the latest draft means the Blazers might have to trade centers, but not Deandre Ayton, per rumors.</p><p>In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst discussed trade rumors in Portland.</p><p>“Jerami Grant–he’s probably one of the guys in the league that teams will look at,” Windhorst said. “But I would also say, with Donovan Clingan getting drafted there and Deandre Ayton on the roster, I don’t think Ayton is very tradable. A guy to watch who is very tradable is ‘The Time Lord,’ one of the great nicknames in the whole NBA, Robert Williams.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>Blazers rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeAndre-Ayton-trying-a-layup-amid-two-defenders.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Windhorst then <a href="https://hoopshype.com/rumor/3149470/" rel="noopener">explained why he believes</a> the Blazers might want to send out Williams in a potential deal.</p><p>“Coming back off injury, obviously, he’s a guy who had repeated injury problems, but he makes $13 million. They may be willing to part with him, and he could go to a contender and be a significant piece if he is healthy,” the ESPN analyst added.</p><p>In the Damian Lillard trade, the Blazers acquired Jrue Holiday, who they then traded to the Celtics in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. The former Celtic big man was a defensive menace who earned a selection to the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive Team.</p><p>During that season, Williams averaged 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He was also the team’s starting center in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who eventually won in six games.</p><p>However, a torn ligament cut his first season with the Blazers short. The team is confident that could recover in time for the 2024-25 season, whether as an active player or a trade asset. His relatively affordable contract and defensive capabilities should entice a contender in the Western Conference minefield to trade for him.</p><p>Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in 55 games with the Blazers, hoping to revitalize his career after the Phoenix Suns traded him to make way for Damian Lillard to arrive at the Bucks. Since January 2023, the Ayton averaged 20.2 points and 12.2 rebounds, giving fans a glimpse to the long-gestating promise he’d shown but never really delivered.</p><p>Further, accusations of a questionable motor hound the former first overall draft pick, and he will have to prove himself again especially if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anonymous-exec-claims-dukes-cooper-flagg-could-start-in-nba-today">Blazers end up drafting Cooper Flagg</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The Blazers’ center who is ‘very tradable,’ and it’s not Deandre Ayton

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-new-orleans-betting-favorite-deandre-ayton-next-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Pelicans-news-New-Orleans-emerges-as-betting-favorite-to-be-DeAndre-Aytons-next-team.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-28T16:48:05-07:00">June 28th, 4:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-29T09:16:12-07:00">June 29th, 9:16am</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans just revamped their roster on Friday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-atlanta-trades-dejounte-murray-pelicans">acquiring guard Dejounte Murray</a> from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Larry Nance, Dyson Daniels and a draft pick.</p><p>But they could possibly still not be done, with Brandon Ingram still on the Pelicans’ roster after months of trade rumors. If New Orleans is looking for an offensive upgrade at center, they could do worse than Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton. In fact, The Pelicans are the betting favorite <a href="https://sports.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/nba-specials/specials" rel="noopener">to be Deandre Ayton’s next team</a> if he’s moved this offseason, per BetOnline.</p><p>The Pelicans are +300 to be Ayton’s next team, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at +400, the Chicago Bulls at +600, and the Los Angeles Clippers at +700.</p><p>Ayton played incredibly well down the stretch for the Blazers, averaging 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds after the All-Star break. The team struggled to integrate the former top-overall pick earlier in the season. He also dealt with knee tendinitis and missed time with an elbow injury after a brutal collision with Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.</p><p>While Ayton takes a lot of grief from fans and national pundits for his low free-throw rate and the way things didn’t work out in Phoenix, he’s a highly effective offensive player who had one of the top midrange shooting percentages in the NBA last season. Overall, Ayton averaged 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds in 55 games for the Blazers last season.</p><h2><b>Blazers draft decisions could make Deandre Ayton available to Pelicans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Donovan-Clingan-2.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Portland Trail Blazers got their man, selecting UConn center Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.</p><p>Clingan is definitely more of a throwback center than the other three(!) centers on the Blazers’ roster. Ayton is athletic as heck but instead thrives in the pick-and-pop and seems almost averse to getting to the free-throw line.</p><p>Robert Williams III is a more mobile defensive anchor who succeeds with positioning but can’t be counted on to play a full – or even half – season due to chronic knee issues. And Duop Reath stretches the floor out to the 3-point line to punish defenders helping off of him as Portland’s guards penetrate into the paint.</p><p>Clingan will start next season in the rotation as the firm backup unless Ayton is somehow dealt in the offseason. He should provide the Blazers with a jolt of rim protection and defensive rebounding.</p><p>While his offense isn’t exactly polished, there are reports that his shooting form is further along and better than some people give him credit for. If Clingan can develop any kind of face-up move in addition to his throwback center skills, this pick is a home run.</p><p>It remains to be seen what kind of offers the Blazers could get for Ayton.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans emerge as betting favorite to be DeAndre Ayton’s next team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/deandre-ayton-shows-why-blazers-wanted-him-after-rocky-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/deandre-ayton-showing-why-blazers-wanted-him-after-rocky-start.jpg"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-29T11:04:45-07:00">March 29th, 11:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-29T11:04:45-07:00">March 29th, 11:04am</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Portland Trail Blazers play out the string in the 2023-24 NBA season, it’s time to start looking back at how key players performed relative to preseason expectations.</p><p>Perhaps no one had more to prove than Blazers center Deandre Ayton.</p><p>Last September, the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-trade-grade-for-deandre-ayton-jusuf-nurkic-swap"> Blazers acquired Ayton</a> in a trade with the Phoenix Suns that sent previous starting center Jusuf Nurkic and forward Nassir Little to the desert.</p><p>Ayton, who was the top overall pick in the 2018 Draft, had seen his relationship with the Suns sour and was looking for a fresh start. An opportunity to play with the rebuilding Blazers was a chance for Ayton to no longer have to sacrifice his individual numbers so that guys like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker could get their shots.</p><p>Many anticipated Ayton to bounce back in his first season with the Blazers. But he initially struggled in a Portland uniform. It wasn’t for a lack of effectiveness, but Ayton didn’t seem to be getting the expected number of touches in the paint. Through Dec. 17, Ayton averaged 12.5 points on exactly 10 shots a night. He was playing defense and rebounding at a high clip, so Blazers fans couldn’t necessarily be unhappy with his play, but it was easy to watch Ayton play and want <i>more.</i></p><p>Ayton missed some time due to right knee tendinitis from late December to mid-January and, after he rejoined the Blazers, he began looking more like the player that Portland hoped would be unlocked. Portland’s guards began looking for Ayton on back cuts, seemingly connecting on two or three alley-oops per game.</p><p>Coach Chauncey Billups talked about the concerted effort the team was making to get Ayton more involved in the Blazers’ offense.</p><p>‘You know, I think Ant [Simons], and Malcolm [Brogdon], and Scoot [Henderson] and those guys have made a real effort to make sure to get him the ball in that pocket. Or, he can roll behind the defense and throwing it up for him. Just made a real concerted effort. You know, we’ve got to try and get more out of D.A. And we’ve been doing that. He’s been great for us. Now we’ve got to just make sure we don’t forget about everything else we’ve been doing, you know?</p><p>Ayton was starting to show genuine connection with the team’s guards when, in a late February game against the Miami Heat, Ayton collided with Kevin Love and sprained his right hand. After missing five games with the injury, Ayton returned to the Blazers lineup like a man possessed. In his next six games, he put up scoring totals of 30, 22, 33, 31, 20, and 25 points. After scoring eight points against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 20, Ayton has been out with elbow tendinitis.</p><h2><b>Deandre Ayton’s future with the Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deandre-Ayton-Blazers-postgame.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>It was a tale of two halves for Ayton this year. Since Jan. 23, the Blazers center has averaged 20.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game while shooting one of the top percentages from the mid-range in the NBA.</p><p>This is the version of Ayton that many expected when he joined the Blazers this offseason. While Suns fans often point to his scoring peaks and valleys throughout each of his seasons there, this version of Ayton seems more sustainable, as long as Portland’s guards are willing to commit to getting him the ball.</p><p>With a hopefully healthy roster next season, it will be interesting to see what Ayton looks like playing more often with Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Only 25 years old, Ayton is still young enough to be a player that the Blazers can commit to as they continue their rebuild.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/arizona-basketball-news-deandre-ayton-makes-mike-bibby-all-time-wildcats-starting-5');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deandre-Ayton-makes-Mike-Bibbys-all-time-Wildcats-starting-5.jpg"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-25T20:41:02-07:00">March 25th, 8:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-25T20:41:02-07:00">March 25th, 8:41pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Arizona has been doing well in March Madness with the efforts of Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson shining in the big dance. Stars and legends out of the Wildcats system loved the beating Dayton suffered as they are now headed to the Sweet Sixteen. Before the second weekend, Mike Bibby got into the mood of crafting his all-time starting five from the program. One addition raised eyebrows and that was Portland Trail <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-deandre-ayton-shutting-out-haters-amid-cruel-season">Blazers big man DeAndre Ayton.</a></p><p>Mike Bibby dropped the whole list and looked fairly confident that these indeed <a href="https://youtu.be/GUC7b-ZxyGY?t=1212">were the best</a> at their positions during their Arizona tenure, via Run It Back.</p><p>“Khalid Reeves, me at the two, three I put Sean Elliott, Derrick Williams at the four, and I have Deandre Ayton at the five, just position-wise,” the Wildcats legend said.</p><p>Chandler Parsons then interjected to gush about the six-foot-eight player who dominated while wearing number 23.</p><p>“By the way, when Derrick Williams was coming out, I thought Derrick Williams was going to be the best player in the NBA when he was coming out of Arizona. Was it the game against Duke where he absolutely torched them? Oh my goodness,” Parsons said.</p><p>All Mike Bibby did was agree about Williams’ dominance with the Wildcats, “And that’s why I put him up there, you’ve got to put him up in the top 5 to ever do it at Arizona.”</p><p>But, Williams was not the notable player that was questionable on this list. It was DeAndre Ayton. The former first-overall pick in the 2018 draft was selected over Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Jaren Jackson Jr.</p><h2><b>Ayton, an Arizona legend</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Portland-Trail-Blazers-center-Deandre-Ayton-2-reacts-against-the-Phoenix-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While his NBA career has not panned out the way most people expected it to be, Ayton’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/arizona-basketballs-caleb-loves-beautiful-message-after-wildcats-secure-sweet-16-berth">career in Arizona was still stellar</a>. In just a single campaign in 2017-18, he sank 61.2% of his attempts from all three levels of scoring to notch 20.1 points. Alongside this, Ayton was able to grab 11.6 rebounds and record 1.9 blocks on a nightly basis.</p><p>All of his production landed Ayton the 2018 Pac-12 Player of the Year award and a consensus All-American nod in his one-and-done season. However, big-name legends from Arizona did not make the list because of his inclusion. Damon Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Chris Mills, and Jason Terry were able to lead Arizona to deep runs in March Madness and in their conference. But, this is still just Mike Bibby’s own list and it is not at all the objective list that everyone should adhere to. After all, Ayton still has the accolades and numbers to back himself up in this conversation.</p><p>As of the moment, he has finally found his footing with the Trail Blazers. His elbow might be a concern as of late but the former Arizona star is still producing at a high rate. He is scoring 15.8 points on average while knocking down 58% of his attempts. Not to mention, his steal and block a game helps the team’s interior defense a lot.</p><p>There is still a lot of time for Ayton to get back to his Arizona form and be great in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	10.0	1.4	0.9	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.4	10.0	1.4	0.9	0.9

Deandre Ayton

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Deandre Ayton shows why Blazers wanted him after rocky start

Deandre Ayton makes Mike Bibby’s all-time Arizona basketball starting 5

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