The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Deandre Ayton this offseason, clearing the path for recent first-round selections Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen. A divorce was in the best interests of both parties.
Not only does Portland get to prioritize their promising young centers, but they also got Ayton to forfeit $10 million of his salary for next season. It also makes sense why Ayton was willing to agree to that. He landed with the Los Angeles Lakers following the buyout and made most of that money back, signing a two-year, $16.6 million deal with a player option for the second season.