Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton has not shown much improvement since he entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, but he doesn't believe his market value has taken a hit at all.

"I got nothing to prove in this league," Ayton told Mark Medina of Basketball Intelligence. "I'm a max player, and I'll continue to be a max player."

Ayton's declaration comes at a peculiar time, considering he has regressed mightily in his first year in Portland after being traded away from the Phoenix Suns this past offseason. In 26 games, the 25-year-old is averaging a career-low 12.8 points per game on a career-worst 53.7 percent shooting while also adding 10.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

It was initially believed that Ayton needed a change of scenery after he faced scrutiny throughout his tenure in Phoenix over his attitude and his lackluster playoff performances. However, his lack of humility while playing for a Portland team that ranks second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 12-30 record indicates that not much has changed for him besides his location.

Ayton is in the second year of a four-year, 132.9 million contract that he signed with the Suns before the 2022-23 season. He's making $32.4 million this year, and that number will rise to $34 million in 2024-25 and $35.5 million in 2025-26. It's hard to imagine that a team would be willing to give him a max extension following his performance this season.

Ayton and the Blazers will try to bounce back from Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.