Channing Frye calls out Blazers player in NSFV message

The The Portland Trail Blazers are mired in a rebuild for the past four seasons, so it’s not really a surprise when they lose games against even the worst teams in the league. On Tuesday night, however, they lost to another team already playing in the 2024-25 season in the Brooklyn Nets, 132-114 — and one player in particular drew the ire of a former Blazers player Channing Frye because of his lack of effort.

It wouldn’t take that far to guess that the player is Frie put on blast in his fiery rant on X (formerly known as Twitter) is Deandre Aytonwho has been nothing but disappointing since arriving with the Blazers via trade from the Phoenix Suns.

“I watch a Blazers game and it’s disgusting to watch a certain player completely screw up his minutes is unreal.” Please stop playing this person Trailblazers,” Fry wrote.

Ayton has always been someone who played with unconvincing body language. His nonchalance can be very frustrating, as he has some smooth scoring and the athletic gifts to make the most of his 7’0″ frame. But with the Blazers not playing much, Ayton’s apparent lack of hustle and determination to improve and dominate the way his nickname “Dominaiton” would suggest he’s prone to become even more apparent.

Of course, this is all just speculation; but relative to expectations and the salary he’s making, Ayton certainly qualifies as the Blazers’ biggest disappointment. In Tuesday night’s loss to the Nets, Ayton found himself on the bench again, playing just 24 minutes while scoring two points on 1-4 shooting in addition to his eight rebounds.

For someone being paid more than $32 million a year, Ayton has yet to live up to that kind of contract, and at this point it’s unclear what the Blazers can do to get the most out of him.

Can the Blazers Trade DeAndre Ayton?

Deandre Ayton is not doing himself any favors with his poor play in Portland; he was at his best when playing for a competitive team like the Suns were in 2021, but since then, Ayton hasn’t been anywhere close to being the best on the hardwood. But how can he convince teams with winning aspirations to take a chance on him when he’s played with a lack of conviction the last few seasons?

With the Blazers having Donovan Clingan ready to take on a bigger role, Ayton’s job as the starting center may not be secure.