Can Mavs Trade for DeAndre Ayton to Join Luka Doncic in 3-Team Swap?

Could the Dallas Mavericks acquire Deandre Ayton in a three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers? It could be tricky.

Dalton Trigg | Jun 26, 2023

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The Dallas Mavericks have been connected to Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton in numerous trade rumors over the last few months, and that could continue after a recent report out of Philadelphia.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer, the Suns want Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris, with Philly finding a third team to take Ayton.

"The Suns want the Sixers to facilitate a 3-team deal that would land Tobias Harris in Phoenix, according to a league source. The third team would take Suns center Deandre Ayton and send assets to Philly," Pompey wrote.

If the Mavs wanted to be that third team, here is a deal that could work, assuming Christian Wood and the 76ers would want each other.

Mavs receive: Deandre Ayton

Suns receive: Tobias Harris

76ers receive: Christian Wood (sign-and-trade for three years, $63 million), Maxi Kleber - or - Reggie Bullock

The Mavs drafted Dereck Lively II to address some of their needs down low, and they also received Richaun Holmes from the Sacramento Kings. Adding Ayton at this reduced cost, though, could take even more pressure off Lively to produce at a high level from day one. It would also give Ayton a much-needed change of scenery, as he'd attempt to live up to that 2018 No. 1 overall pick hype alongside Luka Doncic.

If the Mavs can make a deal like this work while also retaining their ability to use the full $12.4 million MLE this summer, it's a no-brainer. We'll see if they choose to get in on this one as the third team between now and June 30 when free agency begins.

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Published Jun 26, 2023

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.