Spurs Now Best Landing Spots For Suns' Deandre Ayton?
The San Antonio Spurs face a wide range of potential outcomes as the start of free agency nears. As Dejounte Murray continues to be a name in NBA trade rumors, the possibility of a tear down ahead of a loaded 2023 NBA Draft class is one choice. The other? Get aggressive with cap space to build around Murray.
The top perimeter stars that could enter free agency this offseason are likely going to remain with their current teams. Whether it's Zach LaVine, James Harden, or Bradley Beal, they are probably staying put. The Spurs' focus would need to shift elsewhere.
Deandre Ayton has been a speculated option for the Spurs at times throughout the offseason. Many expected San Antonio to target a traditional center and such an outcome would remove them from consideration. Instead, they went with Jeremy Sochan using the No. 9 overall pick.
Other teams that were previously considered potential Ayton suitors appear to be fading out of the mix, including the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. When evaluating the updated free agency landscape for Ayton after the draft, NBA Analysis Network identified the Spurs as his best option.
The Spurs would need to be willing to pay Ayton a significant contract and part with actual value in a sign-and-trade to acquire him. Some veteran options like Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, or Doug McDermott could perhaps be of interest to Phoenix.
Again, none of this matters if the Spurs were to trade Dejounte Murray. It just remains to be seen if that's actually the route that San Antonio favors taking at this time. He's coming off his first All-Star campaign and is signed to a tremendous value contract. Such a decision would be perplexing unless it's something he seeks. If that's the case, the situation changes.
In a scenario where Murray is in the long-term plans, taking a chance on Ayton in a larger role would be intriguing. He is coming off a season with averages of 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds but had just a 21.7 percent usage rate.
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