The Phoenix Suns made a bold change this offseason by trading Chris Paul to the Washington Wizards as the centerpiece of a deal to acquire Bradley Beal. Now, the team must navigate the future of Deandre Ayton as they optimize their massive payroll ahead of the installment of the Second Apron in the new CBA that is set to begin in the 2023-24 league year.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM talked about Ayton’s future in Phoenix with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, suggesting the Suns could trade his max contract to break up their spending into multiple contracts to maximize depth around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
“I think the preference for Phoenix is to trade Deandre Ayton to get depth,” Gambadoro said. “Their top three are set with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. Their problem — and this is why they’re not better than the Denver Nuggets — is their four, five, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth guys. They don’t have depth.”
Ayton averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds during the 2022-23 regular season. However, his production dipped in the 2023 postseason to 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds. Given that he was playing in the first year of a four-year, $132.9 million contract, he proved unable to meet the high expectations established for him.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton & Phoenix Suns Updates
Ayton’s lack of production in key moments of the Western Conference Semifinals commanded significant criticism, even calling his effort into question. 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.
The Nuggets, who won the 2023 title, beat the Suns in the series in six games. Significant pressure was placed on Booker and Durant to shoulder the load throughout the series without adequate support from Ayton, Paul, or much of the supporting cast.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton & Phoenix Suns Updates
Ayton has career averages of 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. He’ll make $32.5 million next season. It remains to be seen how eager teams around the NBA will be to acquire him in a trade. As a result, Phoenix may be unable to find a sufficient trade return in exchange.
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