After the Suns acquired Durant through a trade, he was hailed as the favorite for the championship by all fans and media. With Durant, Booker, Ayton, and Paul, the Suns are indeed the strongest of all championship-contenders on paper. But no one expected that Paul would be plagued by injuries again after the start of the playoffs, and without Paul's threading, the Suns' offensive efficiency would seriously decline, and they could only rely on the individual ability of Durant and Booker to solve the problem. And the top inside Ayton was ravaged by MVP center Jokic in the game against the Nuggets, and the Suns, who have the Big Four, faced the Nuggets, in essence, only Durant and Booker led the team to compete with the Nuggets.
The Suns, who lost a championship, are sure to make changes to their roster this summer, with underperforming center Ayton becoming the Suns' number one purge. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Suns are likely to complete a three-way deal with Ayton this summer with two other Western Conference teams, the Lakers Mavericks. The deal specifically includes the Suns sending Ayton to Beasley, Bamba, and this year's No. 17 pick from the Lakers. The Lone Rangers sent Irving a first-round pick from Ayton, Hachimura and the Lakers. The Lakers will send Hachimura, Beasley, this year's No. 17 pick, and a future first-round pick as a trade chip to get Irving from the Mavericks, prompting James and Irving to join forces again.
For the Suns, disposing of Ayton through this deal frees up some salary space, and sending Ayton away may only be the first step for the Suns to improve the roster. Paul's contract for next season is only partially guaranteed, and given Paul's injury and form issues, the Suns will also send Paul to other teams if there is the right trade chip. After sending Paul and Ayton away, two highly paid players, the Suns have plenty of salary space to recruit big-name players in the free agency market. Since Irving has already been traded to the Lakers in this three-way deal, the Suns can consider signing James Harden, the 76ers' star naked, after the trade market opens. After the 76ers were eliminated by the Celtics, Harden chose to jump out of the player option to become a free man. Although the old club Rockets have thrown an olive branch to Harden and are willing to offer him a 4-year, $200 million maximum salary contract, the Rockets are not currently capable of competing for the championship, and if a championship team invites Harden, Harden is likely to refuse to return to the Rockets and attack the championship again. The departure of Paul and Ayton also created favorable conditions for the Suns, and Harden also publicly said in an interview with media reporters that he would publicly recruit Harden for the Suns this summer. Due to age and injuries, Harden has reduced his personal offense in recent seasons, but this season Harden won the regular season assists king. His arrival can perfectly fill the void left by Paul, and the sun can play a mercury-like attack.
If it is really as I expected, then James Harden will join Durant to attack the championship for the third time in his career, after the two had reached the Finals with the Thunder but unfortunately lost to the Heat Big Three, if it were not for Irving's injury, and since then he has continued to rehabilitate, and abruptly dismantled the Nets Big Three, maybe Durant and Harden would have dreamed of a championship! If the two join hands in the Suns this summer, will they win a championship? Welcome all Lao Tie to leave a message in the comment area and express your views.