The Phoenix Suns made a gigantic trade earlier this offseason by bringing in Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. With Beal joining Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, a major question that popped up in the aftermath revolved around the future of No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, as the big man had been at the center of trade rumors for the last year and was viewed as a logical candidate for Phoenix to trade in the event it wanted to build out its roster a bit.
As it turns out, the team is changing course on his future. According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Suns want to keep Ayton around and see how he looks alongside the Beal, Booker, and Durant trio.
Phoenix Suns are moving forward with the plan of keeping Deandre Ayton to play alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 25, 2023
Suns believe Ayton’s value to the franchise is at an all-time high with the additions of Beal and Durant. Phoenix wants to see them play together.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 25, 2023
Despite the fact that Ayton wasn’t quite as efficient last year as he was in the past, it makes sense to keep him around, as Phoenix doesn’t have any centers under contract right now — both Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale are unrestricted free agents this summer. Earlier in the offseason, new Suns coach Frank Vogel expressed his excitement over getting to coach Ayton, going as far as to say he believed Ayton could be one of the NBA’s best big men.
Ayton averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game during the 2022-23 season.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/suns-plan-keep-deandre-ayton-kevin-durant-devin-booker-bradley-beal/
