According to a report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Phoenix Suns will continue their partnership with Deandre Ayton.
After spending the past 18 months trying to find a new home for Ayton, the Suns have accepted defeat. Phoenix’s inability to put Ayton in a position to succeed again came to haunt them. Ayton has every right to feel wronged. Frowning on the sidelines makes sense. Phoenix clearly doesn’t want their big guy and doesn’t want him to be there.
However, after signing a four-year contract $132 million deal last summerHowever, finding suitors for Ayton proved problematic. Not because the 24-year-old lacks talent, but because his reputation has taken a beating in recent years. However, most of the negative connotations surrounding Ayton are not of his making.
Phoenix haven’t done their part to feature Ayton in their offensive and defensive schemes. They play with him because they have to. Because they have devoted a large part of their cover space to him. The Suns only made this commitment after refusing to extend Ayton’s contract as a maximum the previous year. Everything was mixed messages from the front office.
No wonder Ayton has failed to show unwavering commitment. The Suns have made it clear, time and again, that they are not committed to Ayton. They view his contract as a way to land another superstar. As Ayton is not a large land area in modern times, it is seen as expendable.
In 67 regular season games this past season, Ayton averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 58.9% from the field. For a player who isn’t fully present, these numbers are impressive. Imagine what Aiton would do if asked to be more than just an over-the-top role player. The Phoenix clearly saw stellar potential in Ayton when they drafted him first overall in 2018, before quickly changing their minds.
Ayton deserves to be in a team that believes in him and until that happens we will never see his full potential.