With the upcoming NBA off-season mere weeks away, Deandre Ayton’s future is ever more uncertain due to the way the Phoenix Suns handled him last season, believes NBA writer Mark Medina.
The 7’0” starting center signed a 4-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers during last season’s free-agency, but the Phoenix Suns chose to match it. After yet another disappointing season that ended in a second-round exit to the Denver Nuggets, the team are now believed to want to go in a different direction with their roster.
Phoenix Suns news – Deandre Ayton
Hoops Wire reporter Sam Amico recently stated that he believes the Suns will reach out to the Indiana Pacers, the team that wanted the former No. 1 pick last year, in a potential trade offer. One player the Suns should look to target in such a deal is 2x NBA blocks leader, Myles Turner, as per Sports Illustrated.
The Pacers, though, appear to be facing competition from the Portland Trail Blazers, who have previously shown interest in the former Arizona Wildcat, as well as other teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder to name a few, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports now believes that despite valuing Ayton in the past, the Trail Blazers will look to pursue other targets as they attempt to build a team that will make Damian Lillard want to stay in Portland.
What did Mark Medina say about Deandre Ayton?
With seeming interest in Ayton from multiple teams around the league, Medina suggests that the situation is fluid.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “With Deandre Ayton, I think it’s fluid. The writing on the wall was there last year when the Suns did not give him an offer sheet, and then they wound up matching him in restricted free agency.
“It was a very weird way for them to handle the misgivings that they had about the way Deandre’s season ended with that playoff exit to Dallas in the second round. I think moving forward, it’s all fluid. We’ll see what happens in free agency where really, anything can go.”
What is next for Deandre Ayton?
Still only 24 years old, there is a lot of upside to Ayton and so it is no surprise that a lot of teams around the NBA would be interested in bringing the center in via a trade.
As per Statmuse, the 2018 No. 1 pick averaged 18.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG in 67 regular season games during the 2022-23 season. However, his numbers dropped significantly during the playoffs to only 13.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG.
With a depleted Suns roster due to the Kevin Durant trade, Ayton is one player that offers substantial trade value, and can be used to bring in some necessary depth to support its stars in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
As a result, and as supported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, it is becoming increasingly likely that Ayton will not be a member of the Phoenix Suns by the time the trade deadline rolls around in February 2024.