Former NBA 1st Overall Pick Has Reportedly Been Traded
Deandre Ayton was initially the first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns out of Arizona.
While he has yet to make an NBA All-Star Game, the 25-year-old has been among the best centers in the league.
This past season, Ayton averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 58.9% from the field.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Damian Lillard has been traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks.
As part of a three-team deal, Wojnarowski also reports that Ayton has been traded to Portland.
Via Wojnarowski: "Lillard goes Milwaukee as part of a 3-team deal with Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected MIL 1st, and unprotected MIL swap rights in 2028 and 2030 to Blazers. Phoenix lands Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson."
Ayton joined the Suns when they were among the worst teams in the league and helped them completely turn around their franchise.
In 2021, the Suns made the NBA Finals, and the following year, they had the best record in team history (64-18).
This past season, they were the fourth seed in the Western Conference and beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Despite losing to the Denver Nuggets in the second round, they will be seen as one of the best teams in the league heading into the 2023-24 season.
Nurkic will likely replace Ayton as the team's starting center, and he is coming off a year where he averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while shooting 51.9% from the field and 36.1% from the three-point range.
