Mavs Trade Link to Suns' DeAndre Ayton: Fit With Luka Doncic?
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks (28-25) are riding a two-game winning streak and sit as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with the trade deadline less than one week away.
Dallas has been a team linked to many different players in trade rumors as this year's trade deadline could be as busy as ever with the West as wide open as it is.
From speculation about Chicago's Zach LaVine to Detroit's Bojan Bogdanovic, the Mavericks seemed to have dipped their toes in many conversations.
On Thursday's episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN's Zach Lowe proposed an interesting trade that would land Deandre Ayton in Dallas as Luka Doncic’s co-star.
Mavericks receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., and a future first-round pick
It's an intriguing deal to say the least. Though Ayton hasn't necessarily taken the leap that he nor the Suns had hoped for, he'd immediately be an upgrade for the Mavericks at the center position with Dallas' league-worst rebounding and rim protection getting a boost.
To add to that, the evident disconnect between Ayton and Suns coach Monty Williams has been on full display over the last year, and trading the newly-signed big man — that was only a result of matching a max contract offer sheet he signed with the Indiana Pacers in the summer — certainly seems to be in the cards for Phoenix.
For the Suns, they’d get off Ayton's new contract, that seems to have been matched for the sole reason of not losing him in free agency for nothing. With said disconnect on the team, a fresh start for both Ayton and the Suns would likely be a positive thing.
Acquiring Finney-Smith, who was recently linked to the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz, would fill the void that Jae Crowder has left as he's sat on his couch all season long in hopes for a trade. Playing DFS alongside Mikal Bridges would give the Suns two elite perimeter defenders who can knock down open looks from downtown.
Though Hardaway Jr. is in the middle of a shooting slump, his ability to get hot at any moment from outside would strengthen Phoenix's bench. And for Dallas, it would get his contract off the books.
But, one has to ask: is that enough for Phoenix to part with Ayton? Our gut says likely not, especially when considering that doing a deal with the Mavericks may not be preferred if you're the Suns front office. However, if Nico Harrison happens to listen to The Lowe Post, he might've just gotten an idea to explore. … or maybe Doncic, who is friends with Ayton, shares the same agent, and has reportedly been more involved with personnel decisions, has already ran that idea across the table.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.
