Donovan Clingan has already given the Portland Trail Blazers something Deandre Ayton never really did: a frontcourt presence they can build around without wondering what version of him they’re getting.
That contrast looks even sharper now that Ayton is the backup center on a rebuilding Washington Wizards team. Portland took the swing on him in 2023 as part of the larger Damian Lillard multi-team blockbuster, hoping the former No. 1 overall pick would find a better fit after leaving Phoenix.
It didn’t work out. But the broader trade tree has started to look better for the Blazers, especially after they landed Toumani Camara in the Jusuf Nurkic-Ayton swap with the Suns.
The biggest win, though, was getting out of the Ayton business entirely. Portland reached a buyout that had him forfeiting $10 million of his salary for the upcoming season, and the whole thing only sharpened the value of what came next: a defensive identity built around Camara and Clingan, with Clingan now starting as the team’s anchor.
Ayton’s two years in Portland weren’t empty. He averaged a double-double.
But those numbers never really told the full story, because the production didn’t line up with the kind of impact Portland needed on winning nights. The interior toughness, the steady rim protection, the kind of nightly presence that changes how opponents attack - that was often missing.
Clingan is the opposite kind of center. He can shape a game without needing a big scoring night, and that matters.
He brings two-way value, and he does it without making everything depend on whether he’s getting touches. That was the issue with Ayton, whose motor, defensive impact, and overall attitude were too tied to how involved he was on offense.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick even pointed that out during Ayton’s most recent failed stint in Los Angeles.
The point here isn’t to rehash Ayton’s shortcomings. That conversation has been had plenty already. The bigger story is how quickly Clingan has become exactly the kind of player Portland needed.
He looked like that kind of prospect at UConn, where he led the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA national championships. His physical tools, underrated basketball IQ, and unselfish drive to win made him one of the safest bets in the 2024 draft class. He backed that up right away as a rookie, earning NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.
What’s been more striking, though, is how much more there still seems to be. With Ayton gone, Clingan’s role grew last season, and he answered with an improved three-point shot and better conditioning.
That turned him into more than a rebounder and paint protector. He became a legitimate two-way force who could handle starter-level minutes.
At 22, he’s still just getting started. Portland’s offseason has left plenty unsettled, and the roster still feels like a work in progress.
The backcourt picture is especially messy. But Clingan gives the Blazers something rare in all that uncertainty: a constant.
That’s why the fit around him matters so much. Portland can keep sorting through the guard logjam because the frontcourt is already more settled with Clingan in place. The challenge now is finding the backcourt combination that works with him.
That won’t be simple if a potential starting backcourt of Ja Morant and Damian Lillard is part of the picture this season. The roster is still in flux, and whatever final version takes shape will have to mesh with Clingan’s game. For a rebuild that already hinges on him this early, that part is non-negotiable.
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