Deandre Ayton Heavily Expected to Land With Mavericks
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Trade rumors regarding the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton continue to swirl across the NBA world.
Since the Suns were eliminated in the second round by the Denver Nuggets, Ayton has been the main topic of discussion. He had a poor performance in the playoffs averaging 13.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and one assist. More importantly, Ayton’s lack of aggression on the court was a concerning sign for a guy that Phoenix drafted with the first overall pick back in 2018.
If there is one team that makes sense to land Ayton on the trade market, it has to be the Dallas Mavericks.
“More than one NBA source said they expect Dallas to be a likely destination for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton,” Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus said. “Dončić and Ayton share an agent (Bill Duffy of WME Sports) and are said to have a good relationship.”
For the Mavericks this move could make perfect sense. They already have two superstar guard Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving (pending free agency) so adding some presence down low in the paint is critical for them. The Suns also utilize Ayton in the pick and roll often which would be extremely effective for Dallas especially with the talent they have at the guard position.
What could Phoenix get in return for Ayton?
“The Suns need depth. I can see them getting Tim Hardaway Jr., JaVale [McGee] back, Josh Green and No. 10,” another source said via Bleacher Report. “Phoenix would probably flip the pick to another team for depth, or maybe it'd be a big multi-team deal.”
It's true, the Suns are very top-heavy with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul but lack the necessary depth to be a championship ready team which was exposed during the playoffs.
Adding players like Hardaway Jr. and Green will open up the floor for Durant and Booker ultimately making them a more lethal shooting team. McGee has some chemistry with Durant as they spent some time playing together on the Golden State Warriors and is the perfect lob-threat center that the Suns could use.
Trading away Ayton could be a risk since he is still only 24-years-old with a ton of potential but it's a move that they may need to make in order to truly become a threat in the Western Conference.
