The Phoenix Suns were the best team in the NBA last year… during the regular season. However, the wheels came off in their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Dallas Mavericks. That series led to a playoff elimination and a feud between head coach Monty Williams and star center Deandre Ayton. Ayton is set to hit restricted free agency and there are stirrings Phoenix may move on from the big man. But is that the smart choice?
Let’s take a look at 2 reasons the Suns should re-sign Deandre Ayton.
Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
2 reasons Suns must pay Deandre Ayton in 2022 NBA Free Agency
Ayton is only 24!
Deandre Ayton is going to be just 24 years old in July. Phoenix would likely look back with regret if they let him go at such a young age.
The scary thing about Ayton is that he probably hasn’t even reached his full potential yet. One can only imagine how high his ceiling may be. He’s arguably the best center in the NBA right now not named Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid. And he might even be on their level within the next couple of years.
Despite being limited to 58 games in 2021-2022, Ayton averaged over 17 points and 10 rebounds. He shot over 63 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep. His emergence as a big man who can stretch the floor only increases his versatility. And he runs the pick-and-roll extremely well alongside Chris Paul.
Phoenix can’t let a coach-player feud lead to the end of their relationship with Ayton. Williams and Ayton need to work past whatever it is they are holding onto. The Suns have the talent to reach the NBA Finals. Deandre Ayton is a vital part of Phoenix’s “Big 3” with Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
They need to re-sign the soon-to-be 24-year old.
Dynasty in the making
How many championships would Kobe and Shaq won had they stayed together?
Sure, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton certainly are not on Kobe and Shaq’s level. But they are both young stars who could lead Phoenix to the Finals in the near future. People are quick to call out Booker for his underwhelming playoff performance. But people forget that he is only 25.
Booker is going to demonstrate far more poise moving forward in big games as he accrues more NBA experience. But he needs stars such as Ayton around him.
Phoenix would be doing Booker, and Paul for that matter, a disservice by simply letting him walk. Ayton is far too talented to let go for nothing.
The other option which has been discussed is a sign-and-trade. This would obviously be the best decision should the Suns ultimately move on from Ayton. And according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, it appears that Ayton is heading towards a Suns departure.
“I think there’s a lot of sign-and-trade options scenarios out there that they’ll be able to start working through once we get to Thursday,” Woj said on SportsCenter. “The Suns have had a reluctance to give Deandre Ayton a max contract, but I do believe it’s available to him out in the marketplace. Can they find a package of assets back that makes sense for them?”
And Phoenix will likely receive a quality trade package in return for the big man.
But the Suns need to reconsider the situation before calling it quits with Deandre Ayton.
