Former Suns No. 1 Pick Set to Miss Time

Former Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton will be missing some action.

Feb 3, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) reacts after helping secure a 121-119 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Former Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton is set to miss at least four weeks due to a calf strain, according to a press release from the Portland Trail Blazers:

"PORTLAND, Ore. (February 12, 2025) – Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton exited Monday night’s game at Denver with an injury to the left calf. Ayton underwent an MRI on Tuesday which confirmed a left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks."

This season Ayton is averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per night. He's in his second year with Portland after the Suns traded him ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Ayton, the only No. 1 pick in Suns history, spent the first five years of his career in Phoenix before the organization packaged him and Toumani Camara to send out in a blockbuster deal that saw Jusuf Nurkic/Grayson Allen land with the Suns while Damian Lillard was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nurkic recently was traded by Phoenix to the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the NBA's trade deadline while Allen has provided the Suns with some strong three-point shooting.

Though Ayton flashed a dominant offensive presence at times through his stint in Phoenix, the Suns simply didn't receive enough consistent play from the Arizona product to justify his presence in the future.

“I learned a lot,” Ayton said on the trade back in November (h/t The Arizona Republic).

“To be honest, I took the winning mentality over here. Just approaching the game the right way and being a professional and understanding the consistency really works.”