'His future is bright': Clyde Drexler on Deandre Ayton traded from Suns to Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers legend and Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler spoke to The Republic at the Jerry Colangelo Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Classic in Litchfield Park on Friday.

The Glide discussed the blockbuster three-team trade that sent Portland's seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Phoenix Suns' former No. 1 overall pick and five-year starting big Deandre Ayton to Portland.

Drexler thinks Ayton's a perfect fit for Portland's post-Lillard rebuild with its young talent. Also, Drexler discussed how his career also mirrored Lillard chasing an elusive title.

Drexler played the first 12 of his 15-year NBA career in Portland. When Portland was out of playoff contention for two years, Drexler asked to be traded to his hometown and reigning world champion Houston Rockets in February 1995. They were led by his former Houston Cougars college teammate and the previous season's MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, then won their second straight title, Drexler's only championship ring.

Lillard requested a trade on July 1 after Portland missed the past two postseasons. He spent his first 11 years there and never reached the finals. Lillard's now paired with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who drove Milwaukee past Phoenix for the 2021 title, and Milwaukee was the last postseason's top overall seed.

In addition, Drexler explained why he never signed an endorsement deal with Oregon-based Nike, and this year's 40th anniversary of the massive NCAA championship upset when his Cougars’ high-flying dunk fraternity "Phi Slama Jama" was beat by North Carolina State’s unintended alley-oop at the buzzer.

Drexler on Lillard leaving Portland compared to his own exit to Houston.

“I think it’s perfect because if an organization is trying to retool and rebuild for the future, as a 33-year-old point guard Dame’s time is now if he wants to play for a championship. So it’s only natural that he’s a competitive who wants to compete and don’t want to rebuild, and I think it was the right move for him and the franchise as it was for me at the same time of my career. I just got lucky and we won the championship right away, and I’m hoping and praying that Dame does the same. I think Milwaukee is the perfect team for him.”

Drexler's relationship with Lillard.

“I have a great relationship with Dame. He’s always a very nice guy, nothing but class. He comes always as a professional. I have nothing but respect for his game. When guys commit to the game and love the game, there’s a lot of integrity there.”

How Ayton can impact Portland's post-Lillard era.

“I wish him all the best. He’s a young player. He’s got a big upside, hopefully learned a lot from his experiences in Phoenix and hopefully he’ll bring all of those that and tools to Portland, and that it will bring the best of his career. As a primary rim protector and a guy who can do some stuff on the break and his mobility, I think his future is very bright.”

Drexler on 40th anniversary of NC State’s 1983 title game upset over Houston Cougars.

“That was a good moment in time, Phi Slama Jama. That team was so impressive that people are still talking about that team today. That’s a tremendous compliment. You want to win every game, so obviously you want to win a title game (Houston was 31-3, won 26 straight entering the championship). Hopefully, you get to win next time, but as an athlete there’s only going to be one winner every year. Most athletes are accustomed to losing or falling short quite often in a team game.”

Why Drexler never signed with Nike.

“I wore Kangaroo, then Avia, then Reebok because Reebok bought Avia. In football, Kangaroo had (Chicago Bears’ late Hall of Fame running back) Walter Payton, so we were the two marquee names in both basketball and football. I was with (Kangaroo) for five years. … Avia was a good company, a top-notch company, and they were based in Portland. They paid a lot of money. I’d be at Nike and Reebok, Adidas and everybody else. (Nike founder) Phil Knight and I were friends, too. He’d say, ‘Clyde, why aren’t you in our shoes?’ Because every time my contract was up, they would get outbidded, tripled (laughs). People would be offering triple to me.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Drexler praises Suns trading Ayton to Trail Blazers, Lillard to Bucks