Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix Suns center, may find himself with a new team next season as there are reports that the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets are possible landing spots for him in an offseason trade. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that the Suns are expected to "aggressively explore" an Ayton trade, and that Ayton would welcome a fresh start with another franchise. An anonymous NBA executive cited by Sean Deveney of Heavy.com named the four teams as potential suitors for Ayton if he becomes available.
While a swap of centers between Ayton and the Bulls' Nikola Vučević was mentioned, it was reported that the Suns are not looking to spend big money on a center if they trade Ayton. Another possible deal mentioned was Ayton going to the Bulls for veteran wing DeMar DeRozan, who is signed through next season. An anonymous exec added that Dallas, Portland, and Charlotte are also potential suitors, but that there is no big trade market for centers at the moment.
Ayton was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Arizona, and he has spent his entire five-year NBA career with the Suns so far. Although Ayton has not yet achieved superstar status with no All-Star selections or All-NBA nods during his career, he has been fairly productive, averaging 16.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 block in 303 career regular-season games. This season, Ayton averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.8 blocks, but his play dipped during the playoffs.
During the playoffs, Ayton's numbers fell to 13.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 0.7 blocks in 10 games, and he lost playing time to Jock Landale while missing Phoenix's season-ending Game 6 loss due to a rib injury. Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić dominated Ayton during the Suns' second-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, averaging 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 10.3 assists in six games.
It remains unclear what the Suns could receive in exchange for Ayton given his hefty contract, but he is just 24 years old and could benefit from a change of scenery. With the Suns' superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, they will likely explore all options this offseason to find the right mix around them and improve their chances of vying for a championship next season.
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