A new trade proposal would land the Phoenix Suns a $20 million center and an $18 million forward for Deandre Ayton.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report proposed that the Suns trade Ayton and Landry Shamet to the Atlanta Hawks for Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
“With Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns need to continue to add depth, rebounding, defense and shooting around their stars,” Swartz wrote. “While Ayton has All-Star potential, his touches will be limited if he stays in Phoenix given the amount of offensive talent already on the roster.
“Capela gives Phoenix a rim-running, glass-cleaning center who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. Bogdanović is the ideal sixth man for this group, able to score or facilitate for others depending on who’s on the floor.
“Ayton can thrive in Atlanta, playing pick-and-roll off of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray all game long while expanding his overall game. Shamet gives this roster more shooting around the star guards as well.”
Ayton would be “excited” to get traded by the Suns this summer, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The Suns, who lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals in six games, are expected to aggressively explore the trade market for Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Arizona.
Clint Capela Is a Good Lob Threat, Bogdan Bogdanovic Can Shoot
Capela averaged 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Hawks this season. He scores most of his points off lob passes, so he projects to be a good fit alongside Chris Paul if the Suns keep the future Hall of Famer.
Capela will make $20 million next season. He has career averages of 12.4 points and 10.7 rebounds with the Houston Rockets and Hawks.
Meanwhile, Bogdanovic is a solid shooter and scorer. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season while shooting 44.7% from the field, 40.6% from beyond the arc and 83.1% from the free-throw line in 54 games.
Bogdanovic will make $18.7 million next season. He has career averages of 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists with the Sacramento Kings and Hawks.
Suns Players Frustrated With Deandre Ayton?
MacMahon reported that some Suns players have grown frustrated with Ayton, who didn’t play well against the Nuggets in the conference semifinals. He put up 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the Denver series and didn’t register a positive plus-minus rating in any game.
“Sources told ESPN that Ayton’s teammates have shared their coach’s frustration with what they perceive to be inconsistent effort and aggression from the 7-footer,” MacMahon reported. “Ayton would be excited about a fresh start with another franchise, sources told ESPN. The Suns are expected to aggressively explore the trade market for him this summer, league sources said.”
Ayton tried to leave the Suns last summer by signing a four-year, $132.9 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers in restricted free agency. However, Phoenix matched Indiana’s offer sheet, which didn’t make Ayton happy, sources told Heavy Sports.
Ayton has career averages of 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. The Suns fired Monty Williams as head coach and hired Frank Vogel.
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Proposed Trade Lands Suns Clint Capela & $18M Forward for Deandre Ayton