Deandre Ayton came into the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick, getting chosen ahead of players like Luka Doncic and Trae Young. And while he became an important piece on a contending Suns’ team, it hasn’t quite worked out in Phoenix.
Ayton had issues with former Head Coach Monty Williams, and his stats do leave something to be desired. With the Phoenix Suns looking to retool around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, it seems Ayton might be on his way out. Richard Jefferson seems to think so.
“You’re talking about Devin Booker and you’re talking about Kevin Durant,” Jefferson said. Everything I’ve heard and seen, Deandre Ayton is gone. He is still a 20 and 10 center that is 23 years old, 24 years old. There are gonna be teams that invest in him.
“So if you can get a dominant wing defender if you can go get bench depth… that gives you the space to go add more pieces. Now all of a sudden, the team that very top-heavy… and now they’ve put themselves in a position to go do that.”
"Everything I've heard and seen, Deandre Ayton is gone."
Richard Jefferson on Ayton when talking about Chris Paul's future in Phoenix and how #Suns can orchestrate roster if they trade Ayton and Paul.
Kendrick Perkins thinks Paul going to #Lakers would "shake up the league." pic.twitter.com/GiqoyMUfJI
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) June 8, 2023
Deandre Ayton may have been outshone by some of his draft-class peers, but he is far from a bust. Ayton averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in the 2022-23 season and he has the talent to be even more dominant in the NBA.
He has played 64 games on average over the last three seasons, so he is available too. And at the age of 24, he still has two years or more to develop before he enters his prime. It might make sense for Ayton to leave the Phoenix Suns and for the team to let him go, but he also can make them regret it if they do move him.
Phoenix Suns Have Sent Mixed Signals On Deandre Ayton’s Future
Devin Booker is entering his prime, and Kevin Durant still has another three seasons at the top in him at least. It makes sense for the Suns to build around them, and in service of that, there have been reports that they will explore trades for Ayton and Chris Paul.
But at the same time, new Head Coach Frank Vogel has come out and spoken about his desire to make Ayton an All-Star. And he could very well still blossom into a massive piece for the Suns. With all these things considered, it’s hard to say if he will be elsewhere for sure, Phoenix does have a lot of thinking to do.
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