Four Trade Destinations For Phoenix Suns’ Center Deandre Ayton

The Bradley Beal trade just got the ball rolling.

Actually, you can make the case that the Kevin Durant trade that took place in February is what started this all, but to each his or her own. The Phoenix Suns are firmly in a place where they are looking to make some serious noise next year with a core of Devin Booker, Beal and Durant. That core of players may very well include Deandre Ayton, but it may not make as much sense to keep him.

The team is lacking any real depth and is currently slated to need to hunt for veterans willing to take the minimum in order to fill out the rest of their roster. It’s a plan that very well may work out but the likelihood is that they’ll need to transform Ayton into parts that fit the roster better. It’s a risk because it means they need to try and get a center in return, but this is the game you play when you try to make it to the highest levels.

Here are a few trades that could make sense as draft night approaches:

Trade #1

This could make a ton of sense for both sides.

Right now Portland is trying to tread the line between going all in for a championship while they have Damian Lillard versus going through a full scale rebuild by ditching their franchise icon. This allows them to move one of their picks for a young center while still being able to take Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller with the 3rd pick overall. This shows Lillard they are still set on winning while being able to integrate a special young talent into the rotation.

The Suns get an adequate replacement at center in Jusuf Nurkic. His salary is not the most attractive, but he should be able to plug into the starting lineup and play reasonably well. Nassir Little is on a great contract over the next few years and should be a wing they heavily rely upon. Getting someone at that position on the open market right now is extremely difficult and the Suns are in desperate need of players of Little’s archetype. Winslow continues to be an often injured player, but if he is dealt in a sign-and-trade to the Suns it could make sense as a player to spot next to Durant when the team wants to go small. The 2nd round pick could be a way for them to take a shot on someone that could start to contribute by the end of the season.

Trade #2

Three team trades are almost always a pipe dream for the average NBA fan, but it’s time to have a little fun.

The Mavericks and Ayton have been connected in rumors for quite some time. He’d give the team the best center they’ve had in awhile along with the added bonus that he is still only 24 years old. Reggie Bullock struggled at times last year so being able to replace him with AJ Griffin could be the boost that Dallas needs on the perimeter. He’d infuse some youth to the team on top of the realistic possibility that he continues to build off of his 39 percent 3-point shooting from last year. Luka Doncic, Jalen Johnson, Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Ayton, and Griffin would make up six rotation players that would be 24 years or younger for the Mavericks. That could be enough to sway Doncic into buying back into what the organization is doing.

Quin Snyder wasn’t coaching the team when they selected Griffin in the first round and he didn’t give the rookie any playing time during the playoffs. The Hawks seem to be ceding some control to him in the front office so it wouldn’t be surprising for him to capitalize on some of the team’s depth in order to get a bit younger and take two players in the top half of the first round.

The Suns get a really solid center in Clint Capela who can help the team tremendously on defense. Bullock is perfect for a veteran team and could be a nice buy low candidate as he seemed to struggle to find his shooting at times in Dallas. Saddiq Bey could be another shooter that helps spread the floor a bit for Phoenix.

Trade #3

This may be dependent on Zion Williamson.

There has been unsubstantiated speculation that the Pelicans would be interested in moving Williamson for the second or third pick in the draft. Jonathan Givony feels pretty certain that Brandon Miller will be drafted 2nd overall, which leaves the possibility open that Portland could swing a deal with New Orleans. If that happens this deal feels far more likely.

The Pelicans get a youthful center that would be a nice anchor to build alongside Brandon Ingram and Scoot Henderson. It might be a bit rich for the Pelicans to give up on Dyson Daniels so early, but they may not be high on him after a pretty poor offensive year and the amount of depth already on the roster.

Jonas Valanciunas gives them a bruising center inside and Naji Marshall gives them a piece to plug on the wing. Daniels is a great player to add to the backcourt of the Suns if he is able to find his footing at all offensively.

Trade #4

This is simply a way for the Suns to open up salary cap space in order to sign a couple players using salary cap exceptions along with a trade exception. This is probably the least likely trade to happen, but it’s not out of the question that James Jones is working the phones ready to cash in on a team looking to dump a productive player or two that has a bloated salary to take advantage of the added cap space.

The Spurs may want Victor Wembanyama to play power forward for a couple of years before throwing him out at center. Ayton could take on that role and the Spurs could eventually look to move him on the back end of that contract if they find that Wembanyama is ready to start to play more at center.