One NBA writer is proposing that the New Orleans Pelicans acquire Deandre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Pelicans and Suns:
Trade idea: New Orleans Pelicans trade Jonas Valančiūnas, Larry Nance Jr., Kira Lewis Jr. and 2024 first-round pick (via LAL) to Phoenix Suns for Deandre Ayton
“Ayton might be just what this roster needs,” Buckley wrote in his latest NBA trade column. “He is both an interior anchor and a capable switcher on the perimeter. While he sometimes plays with too much finesse on offense, he’ll play with the requisite physicality on defense. Offensively, he has more in his bag than any of the three players whom New Orleans would be shipping out here. The Phoenix Suns don’t run a ton of actions through him, and he’s still poured in better than 17 points per night in three of the past four seasons.
“He’d be a better fit with Williamson if he had a three-ball, but Ayton’s comfort shooting from mid-range and touch at the foul line (career 75.5 percent) both suggest he could harness an outside shot soon.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns Updates
Ayton averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists last NBA season while shooting 58.9% from the field and 76.0% from the free-throw line. He recorded 36 double-doubles and helped Phoenix win 45 games in the regular season.
However, Ayton’s level of play dropped in the 2023 NBA playoffs. The center averaged 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 10 games versus the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets. Ayton put up 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the Nuggets series and didn’t register a positive plus-minus rating in any game.
The Suns lost to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Western Conference Semifinals in six games. Ayton didn’t play in Game 6 due to a rib contusion he suffered in Game 5.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Deandre Ayton, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns Updates
According to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN, there is no viable trade right now turning Ayton into the kinds of players (or picks) that would maintain or boost the Suns’ NBA title odds. This trade Buckley came up with would give Phoenix more depth around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
It will be fascinating to see if the Suns and Pelicans talk about an Ayton trade once the 2023-24 season starts.
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