Frustrated over how their season ended, being eliminated in the semifinals by the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns are expected to make more changes than just swapping Monty Williams for Frank Vogel. One of their biggest trade chips is Deandre Ayton, their No. 1 overall pick in 2018.
Ayton has proven to be one of the top ten centers in the NBA, but he may be able to attract an offer too good to refuse. It’s clear that the Suns’ cornerstones are Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and everything else is up for grabs for the right price.
So if the Suns feel they can exchange Ayton for a trade package that helps them get further into the postseason, why not consider their options?
One NBA insider, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, is “pretty sure (Ayton) will be traded this summer.” Ayton’s 2023-24 salary will be $32.4 million, which is the number teams will have to match via trade.
The Suns matched the Indiana Pacers’ four-year, $132 million offer in restricted free agency last summer, allowing Phoenix to maintain control of their talented big. Yet, there’s a sense that if the Suns were hellbent on keeping the 24-year-old, they would have reached an extension with Ayton well before he entered free agency and even allowed him to search for offers elsewhere first.
Now, according to MacMahon, trade discussions could pick up again this offseason. It’s a reasonable expectation since Ayton will first be eligible to be dealt this summer.
- Deandre Ayton stats last season: 18 PPG, 10 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 58% FG
Even if the Suns may not view Ayton as an ideal fit for their current vision, plenty of other teams will have an interest in seeing if there’s any more untapped potential in the former first-overall pick.
After all, he’s averaged a double-double in each of his five seasons in Phoenix, so Ayton should be a safe addition with a high floor and possibly an even higher ceiling than the one we currently know.
Related: Deandre Ayton is ‘unlikely’ to be with Phoenix Suns next season: 4 likely trade destinations