Getty Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton
The Phoenix Suns could lose star center Deandre Ayton this summer.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reported on April 8 that the Dallas Mavericks may try to trade for Ayton if superstar point guard Kyrie Irving returns.
“Assuming Irving returns, the Mavericks might have an eye (via trade) on Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton,” Pincus wrote. “Per NBA sources, Dallas also eyed Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and Atlanta Hawks forward/center John Collins before the trade deadline.”
Ayton attempted to leave the Suns last offseason by signing a four-year, $132.9 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers. However, Phoenix matched Indiana’s offer sheet. Ayton and Suns head coach Monty Williams don’t have the best player-coach relationship, sources told Heavy Sports.
Bleacher Report: Deandre Ayton Is Not Untouchable in Trade Talks
In a March 28 article titled “Who Should Be Untouchable On Every NBA Team This Offseason?,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley said All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are the only players on the Suns who are untouchable in trade talks.
“Talent-wise, Booker and Durant rise above the rest of this roster. Frankly, they rise above the majority of this league. A healthy Durant has a credible case as the best player in basketball. Booker has climbed up so far on the NBA ladder he’s running out of rungs,” Buckley wrote. “They aren’t the only players in this discussion for the Phoenix Suns, though. While they could shop Chris Paul or Deandre Ayton, it’s hard to envision finding a better plug-and-play option for either spot. It would more likely involve Ayton than Paul, since the former is younger and plays less of a premium position, but neither seems super likely. Not super likely isn’t the same as impossible, though, and that’s before accounting for how an early playoff exit might impact that likelihood. What if teams dare Paul to consistently score on them, and the 37-year-old can’t? What if Ayton can’t stay on the floor again? The Suns could then be in line for substantial changes this summer, just none that involve Booker or Durant.”
Ayton finished the 2022-23 season with averages of 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 58.9% from the field and 76.0% from the free-throw line. The 24-year-old helped the Suns secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Phoenix will face the fifth seed in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. The team will have home-court advantage.
Kevin Durant on Deandre Ayton: ‘DA Is a Huge Target’
Durant is a huge fan of Ayton, who was the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. KD talked about Ayton on April 2 after the Suns defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“DA is a huge target,” Durant said. “He has touch out to the middy. So if we can get him the ball in his positions to score, then that’s gonna make us even more dangerous. Sometimes I drive to the rim, his man gonna come up and help sometimes to contest my midrange and I can just dump it off. I can be more better. I can be better those situations and be more patient. Wait for DA a little bit more in the post, but we gonna get better at it.”
The Suns went 8-0 when Durant and Ayton were in the lineup together.