“You can’t trick a former player that’s your coach” – Perkins doesn’t buy that Ayton struggled with Blazers because of losing culture originally appeared on Basketball Network.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins disagrees with the notion that the newly signed Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton struggled during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers because he was a winning player put in a losing situation.
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Ayton hinted that during an interview with ESPN L.A.. It’s unclear if Perkins was reacting to the big man’s statement, but what was sure was that Perk believes that the Blazers had a good reason why they decided to waive the former No.1 pick.
“I never took for granted how talented he is,” said Perkins on the recent episode of the “Road Trippin” podcast. “We know that he could walk out; he can fill up the box score. Here’s the thing: You can’t trick a former player who’s your coach. Chauncey Billups was your coach in Portland. So it’s no fool’s gold with him.”
Billups benched Ayton and said he didn’t like his “spirit”
Big things were expected from Ayton when the Phoenix Suns picked him first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona. However, while he had his moments in “The Valley”, DeAndre’s tenure there was marred with accusations of bad behavior and poor work habits, and the Suns gave up on him after only five seasons, when he was only 24 years old.
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Many thought going to Portland to play for the Blazers would give Dominayton a new lease on life. However, his struggles got worse, and last December, head coach Chauncey Billups benched him because he did not like Ayton’s “spirit” in the game.
Deandre played for the Blazers until February but did not see action after the All-Star break because of a calf strain. Last month, Ayton and Portland agreed on a buyout where he reportedly gave up $10 million of his $35 million salary for next season.
“Coaches don’t really look at box scores to determine whether or not you had an impact on the game. Chauncey Billups played and won a championship with fu—n’ Ben Wallace, a guy that did all the little things,” added Perkins.
“Can you front? Can you meet early? Are you going to battle in the low block so a guy can’t get an easy catch? And when he does, are you going to take the hit? Are you not afraid of embarrassment? When I say embarrassment, are you going to go contest shots, although you may get put in the highlight reel? A coach doesn’t give a damn about this sh–.They want to know that every single time, Deandre Ayton is going to meet you at the rim,” he continued.
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Ayton wants to play in a winning situation
In his first interview as a Laker, Ayton said that he asked to be bought out in Portland because he wanted to be part of a winning team again. Deandre said that once he was traded to the Blazers, he was thrust into a situation where the team focused more on developing players than contending for a championship.
“On the Trail Blazers, they had a different route,” he said. “Me, I wanted to be in a winning situation, and my agents and I finally got a chance in free agency just to finally evaluate. I feel like the Lakers were in the best position. They want to win a championship right now, and I want to win right now as well and just be part of a winning legacy and be around winners. And everyone said it was something difficult to think about, but it just brings me back to playing with the Suns and being part of a winning organization. Once you win, everything is easy, really.”
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There was never a question of how good a basketball player Ayton was — it was always about his attitude and work ethic. Given Billups’ background, he is a good judge of talent and character. That’s why Perk believes there was a valid reason why the Blazers gave up Deandre like the Suns did before them.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.