NEWSLETTER
On Wednesday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed a report regarding Chris Paul’s potential availability this offseason. As we discussed when the news first broke this afternoon, the future HOF point guard could soon be waived by the Suns and enter the market as one of the top unrestricted free agents of the offseason. But that wasn’t the only rumor trickling out of Phoenix today. Alongside the bit on Paul, Wojnarowski also mentioned/confirmed that the Suns will explore trading starting center Deandre Ayton.
Here’s Woj’s latest:
Phoenix plans to explore trade opportunities including Paul and Deandre Ayton that could alter the franchise’s roster landscape ahead of a final decision on Paul’s partially guaranteed contract, sources said.
A former No. 1-overall pick, Ayton’s time in Phoenix has been contentious. Just last offseason, the organization made him go out and receive a maximum contract sheet from the Indiana Pacers before they decided to match it and bring him back. The decision spoke to their questionable commitment to the big man, who has struggled to live up to expectations at times.
Still, at 24 years old with an elite build and great athleticism, Deandre Ayton has remained one of the more serviceable big men in the NBA. He is fresh off averaging 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while knocking down 79 percent of his shots at the rim (91st percentile, per Cleaning the Glass). While his contract may be a lot to stomach (AAV of $33.3 million through the 2025-26 season), there is still plenty of time for him to develop into the two-way force many thought he could be.
With that being the case, it’s not that hard to see certain teams talking themselves into Ayton. And I have to imagine the Chicago Bulls would be at least one of those willing to entertain the idea.
To avoid repeating myself, I’ll dump a little bit from a post we wrote in May about a possible Deandre Ayton pursuit. At the time, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote that the Suns were expected to “aggressively” pursue trades that involve the big man and that Ayton would be open to a fresh start.
Ayton has yet to develop the jumper that some hoped he could upon entering the league, so he wouldn’t offer the Bulls the same kind of spacing they’ve had with Vucevic. However, Ayton does have plenty of experience playing with mid-range dominant players in Paul and Devin Booker. Likewise, Ayton has shown he can offer similarly positive production to Vucevic as a screener, finishing 7th in screen assists this season.
Also, while Ayton can undoubtedly improve on the defensive end, he’d still have to be considered an upgrade from Vucevic. A far more mobile big man with a seven-foot-six wingspan, he has the tools to be a solid rim-protector and switchable defender. There is no question he can ramp up his level of physicality, but he has the frame to theoretically handle some of the better big men in the East.
Ok … so what’s the problem? Why isn’t Arturas Karnisovas personally camping outside the Phoenix Suns offices to get a deal done as the new league year begins? Well, the main issue is obvious: he’s still owed $102 million over the next three seasons. That’s an AAV of 34.0 million. Not only is that A LOT of money to pay a center, but it’s A LOT of money to give a player that still has to prove he can (1) perform consistently and (2) take the next step.
Plus, if you’re giving Ayton that much money, you simply have to be all-in on making a LaVine-Ayton duo work. DeRozan would almost surely have to be a casualty for it to make sense financially (you know, because the Bulls are NOT paying the luxury tax). I guess if things were to go south, though, Chicago could at least deal LaVine and have another youngish asset in Ayton to retool around.
You can read that full post on Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul here.
