Deandre Ayton has long promised to be one of the more happening and drawn-out sagas of this season. Even before the Phoenix Suns had their embarrassing Game 7 implosion against the Dallas Mavericks and the issues became more evident, the franchise’s refusal to give Ayton the max extension showed that they weren’t entirely sold on the man they drafted 1st overall over Luka Doncic and Trae Young in 2018.
It’s not like Ayton has been a bust, far from it. But there definitely seems to be a gap between his idea of his value and the organization’s idea of his value. Add to this that Ayton’s video game habits are seen as an issue and that Head Coach Monty Williams is far from his biggest fan, there is no surprise that the reports of a move away for Ayton have only been growing, with teams like the Hawks linked.
And as such, the Suns won’t want to lose Ayton, who is a restricted free agent, for nothing. With that being a consideration for the team, Marc Stein has now reported that the Suns are expected to seriously engage in sign-and-trade talks with other teams involving Ayton.
“The Phoenix Suns are “increasingly expected to engage in serious sign-and-trade talks” regarding star center DeAndre Ayton, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Stein listed the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks as possible candidates to land Ayton. He added more teams could enter the mix if Phoenix signals its ready to move on from the 2018 No. 1 overall pick.”
Ayton has averaged over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game throughout his 4 seasons in the NBA so far, and he has the potential to become the next elite big man if a team can unleash his capabilities. There is sure to be a lot of interest in Ayton from across the league, but only a few teams will have the assets the Suns are likely looking for in return.
