In the midst of the initial frenzy of free agency, one of the biggest storylines in the NBA was Deandre Ayton. After failing to find a trade partner for the veteran big man, the Portland Trail Blazers opted to buy out his contract and let him hit the open market.
During his time with the Phoenix Suns, Ayton was viewed as one of the league's promising young talents at center. However, things did not pan out for him in Portland. As the Blazers continue to rebuild and develop young talent, the front office decided to end its experiment with the former No. 1 pick.
Upon clearing waivers, Ayton reportedly had a handful of suitors in free agency. According to NBA insider Ian Begley, the New York Knicks were among the teams potentially interested in signing him. Ayton is fresh off a 2025 campaign with the Blazers where he averaged 14.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG across 40 appearances.
He's obviously not on their radar now, but the Knicks also did some background work on Deandre Ayton. Some decision makers viewed Ayton as a good fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of their background work included talking to the Trail Blazers about Ayton. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Blazers gave good feedback on Ayton to teams that called on him, which runs contrary to recent reports painting Ayton in a negative light. The Knicks received similar positive feedback from Portland about Ayton’s leadership with some of the younger Blazers.
As a big man who primarily does their damage around the rim, Ayton is someone who could have played next to Towns easily. This lineup construction has yielded positive results in the past, as the Minnesota Timberwolves made the conference finals with a traditional big alongside KAT. However, it is worth noting that Ayton isn't the same caliber of center defensively as Rudy Gobert.
While they might have sniffed around, the Knicks ended up losing the Ayton sweepstakes. Shortly after officially becoming a free agent, he inked a two-year deal with the LA Lakers. Ayton will now attempt to salvage his NBA career by helping the iconic franchise contend with LeBron James and Luka Doncic.