How Three-Team Trade Would Benefit Suns, Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton, once swimming in the vast waters of an encouraging future with the Phoenix Suns, has suddenly experienced high water in the trade scenario. The life preserver that has been Frank Vogel has kept Ayton afloat in the Valley momentarily, but the complex relationship between him and the organization remains.
Whether new ownership, new coaching or new energy around the team helps or hurts Ayton, it is now or never for the big man to prove his capabilities to the franchise starving for a title. Ayton will enter his second year of his sizable 4-year $132 million dollar contract, for the time being.
C Deandre Ayton will become either a piece in trades or a piece in Vogel's scheme.
If the Suns chose to ship off Ayton, the options will be reportedly slim. Not many teams are willing to take on such a large contract at the center position, especially with the modern day center position demanding the versatility that it does today.
Nonetheless, here is a trade option that can make sense for all parties involved:
Indiana Pacers receive: C Deandre Ayton (via Phoenix)
Atlanta Hawks receive: C Myles Turner (via Indiana)
Phoenix Suns receive: C Clint Capela (via Atlanta)
In this trade package, three teams are involved due to the cap management of each team. The traded players are similar in value adjusted for their respective contracts and their roles in their current teams.
This trade would send a frustrated Ayton out of Phoenix to Indiana, a team that values Ayton just as much as the Suns. Last offseason, the Pacers originally offered the then restricted free agent the same 4-year, $132 million dollar contract that the Suns would go on to match, leaving Ayton with a valiant return with the team.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, often linked to Ayton, could be on the move this offseason.
The Pacers could take another stab at Ayton for the potential to pair him with rising guard Tyrese Haliburton as a pick-and-roll duo. Haliburton, only 24 years of age, has proved to be a proven ball handler and commander of an offensive scheme in the NBA.
To pair along with Halliburton, the Pacers feature a whole slew of youngsters that can be valuable to Ayton’s game. With inexperienced NBA players bubbling with talent, the Pacers scheme could be more along the lines of pick-and-rolls to the basket, with Ayton receiving plenty of post feeds from players who haven't yet turned into dominant scorers.
Unlike Indiana, Ayton’s role offensively is becoming minute, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker dominate the scorers book too much for Ayton to not only work the ball down low on a nightly basis, but also be able to grow his game offensively by getting consistent looks throughout the season in abundance. Ayton’s value is higher on a team that will also look to mature as guards like Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Chris Daurte are all under the age of 26.
The Suns bringing in Capela isn’t exactly a flashy trade in a sense, but the veteran center will add value with his play and character.
While Capela’s prime pick-and-roll days in Houston with James Harden may be over, the 29-year old Swiss still has some juice in him. Capela shot a career high 65.3% from the field last season. Capela averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds last year after his role fizzled down the stretch with the emergence of C Onyeka Okongwu.
C Clint Capela's time in Atlanta may be coming to a close as the team looks to grow younger players.
Capela is also a physical defender that, unlike Ayton at times, isn’t afraid to punish opponents in the paint with a foul or aggressive box out. His physical factor could be something that Vogel plays off of as well, as Vogel will reportedly bring a tougher mindset to Phoenix, especially in the interior.
