Despite rumors to the contrary, the suns Don’t plan on a trade center Deender EatonAnd Ovarian reportChris Haynes I mentioned Sunday. Phoenix believes Ayton’s value is at an all-time high and wants to see him play alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and newly acquired Bradley Bell.
The report comes a day later Keith Pompey Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Suns was interested in facilitating trade with 76ersas Phoenix would trade Ayton to a third team and land Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris in the process.
Ayton, 24, is one of the best youngsters in the NBA, but he’s having a disappointing playoff run. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds during the 2022-23 regular season but only 10.8 points and 8.2 boards during the Western Conference Semifinals against the Nuggets.
Phoenix fired coach Monty Williams — who repeatedly clashed with Ayton — and hired former Lakers coach Frank Vogel this offseason. A clean slate and the addition of Beal are expected to be good for Ayton, and it looks like the Suns want to see what this new version of the team looks like while keeping their young centre-back looking.