Arizona Stars Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier Are Leaving for the NBA

Ayton and Trier say Arizona’s loss to Buffalo will be their final college game.

Arizona’s Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier announced after the Wildcats’ loss to Buffalo on Thursday night that they intend to declare for the NBA draft.

Neither announcement is a surprise. Ayton, a freshman, is viewed as a potential No. 1 pick, while Trier, a junior, is considered a second-round prospect. 

The 7'1" Ayton is one of four finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award. He averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game for the Wildcats this season. 

That didn’t take long. DeAndre Ayton and Alonzo Trier declared themselves for the NBA draft. So much for taking a day to think about it. #ArizonaWildcats

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) March 16, 2018

Trier, a 6'5" guard, averaged 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season. He missed two games after he was suspended for a second failed drug test. Trier originally missed 19 games last season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The departures of Ayton and Trier, who were first and second on the team in scoring this season, will leave Arizona looking like a very different team next season. Dusan Ristic and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, the fourth- and fifth-leading scorers, are graduating and third-leading scorer Rawle Atkins is also expected to go pro. Making matters worse, Arizona currently has no recruits signed for next season’s freshman class.