Despite rumors to the contrary, the Suns do not plan on trading center Deandre Ayton, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported Sunday. Phoenix believes Ayton’s value is at an all-time high and wants to see him play alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the newly acquired Bradley Beal.
The report comes a day after Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Suns were interested in facilitating a trade with the 76ers, in which Phoenix would deal away Ayton to a third team and land Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris in the process.
Ayton, 24, is one of the best young big men in the NBA but is coming off a disappointing playoff run. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds during the 2022-23 regular season but just 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. The clean slate and addition of Beal is expected to be good for Ayton, and it appears the Suns want to see what this new version of the team looks like while keeping their young center in the middle.
