Getty Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns celebrates a basket.
Even after mortgaging their future to land All-Star forward Kevin Durant at the deadline, the Phoenix Suns suffered the same fate they did last season — a second-round exit via a blowout loss. It has put Phoenix’s roster construction under a microscope heading into the offseason.
One major factor in the Suns’ loss to the Denver Nuggets was the play of Deandre Ayton, who looked disengaged at times during the series. With Ayton having a questionable effort in back-to-back playoff series, Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated proposes an offseason trade that would send Ayton to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole.
“The Suns acquired 13-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant in February (via the Brooklyn Nets), which makes the loss even more devastating. They gave up significant assets in the deal, and Durant is already 34 years old,” Stinar writes.
“That said, star point guard Chris Paul missed the final four games of the series with a groin injury while starting center Deandre Ayton was ruled out for Game 6 due to a rib injury. Over the offseason, I believe the Suns should try to trade Ayton to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole.”
Suns Unhappy With Deandre Ayton’s ‘Inconsistent Effort’
Despite finding Ayton valuable enough to draft him with the top pick in the 2018 draft, his time with the Suns has been up and down. It looked promising when the star big man was able to help the Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021, but since then, things have spun out of control.
Ayton was benched by head coach Monty Williams during Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks last year. This year his minutes were sporadic as the Suns’ head coach would situationally split playing time at the five position between, him and undrafted center Jock Landale. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Ayton’s time in Phoenix has been “awkward” over the last two seasons.
“The relationship between Ayton and the Suns has been awkward for the past two years, due in part to Phoenix’s reluctance to award Ayton with a maximum extension of his rookie contract. Phoenix was essentially forced to pay up for Ayton when the Indiana Pacers signed him to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet as a restricted free agent last summer, leaving the Suns with the options of matching the deal or losing the 2018 No. 1 pick for nothing,” MacMahon writes.
“The relationship between Ayton and Williams publicly frayed after the coach benched the big man during that aforementioned Game 7 loss to the Mavericks and then refused to discuss Ayton postgame or during the next day’s exit interviews. Ayton revealed early in training camp that he did not have a single conversation with his coach all summer, even after signing his maximum contract. 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.”
Deandre Ayton Expected to Have Several Suitors
Ayton’s last two seasons in Phoenix may have been turbulent, but that does not mean he would not be effective on another team. His rebounds per game have declined each of the past two seasons, but his points per game have gradually improved. And one of the Warriors’ top priorities this summer should be a player who can give them consistent offense from the center position.
While Ayton would be a nearly seamless fit in Golden State, the Suns’ center expects to have several suitors if he becomes available, according to MacMahon.
“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,” MacMahon writes.
“Although Ayton had a disappointing series against Denver — getting benched down the stretch of the Suns’ Game 3 win and frequently dominated by two-time MVP center Nikola Jokic — league sources expect several teams to show interest in acquiring the 24-year-old, who averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season.”