One NBA writer is proposing that the Phoenix Suns trade center Deandre Ayton to the Golden State Warriors this offseason for shooting guard Jordan Poole.
Ian Levy of Fansided came up with the trade idea.
“The Ayton for Poole hypothetical started popping off almost before the Warriors were even eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers,” Levy wrote. “Poole had a disastrous postseason and has since been publicly shaded by Steve Kerr for complaining about playing time. The two have salaries that are similar enough that they could be traded for each other, one-for-one, allowing each team to sweep away their problems in a single swoop.
“In a vacuum, the deal makes a lot of sense. The Warriors get a potential defensive anchor, and a very different kind of offensive weapon to add versatility to their system. On the other hand, they already have Kevon Looney and Draymond Green and while they could use another big man, spending $30+ million on that position for the next three years may not be the best resource allocation. For the Suns, Poole would be a nice boost to the second unit with his shooting and secondary creation and has experience playing off other dynamic offensive threats like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Golden State Warriors Updates
Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October 2022. The extension kicks in next season. The Michigan product averaged a career-high 20.4 points for the Warriors this season.
However, Poole wasn’t able to carry over his regular-season success to the postseason. In 13 playoff games versus the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Poole averaged 10.3 points while shooting an inefficient 34.1% overall and 25.4% from 3-point range. The Warriors, who won the championship last season over the Boston Celtics, lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals in six games, with Poole averaging just 8.3 points in the series.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns & Golden State Warriors Updates
Meanwhile, averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds during the regular season, which are good numbers. However, his production dipped in the postseason to 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds. The former No. 1 overall pick put up 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the Denver Nuggets series and didn’t register a positive plus-minus rating in any game.
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