Team reporter revealed that Ayton is very unlikely to be traded, and it is difficult for the Suns to supplement the follow-up, relying on the Big Four to compete for the championship alone?
On June 24, Beijing time, according to Arizona sports reporter John Gambadoro, DeAndre Ayton was one of the hottest trade rumors this offseason, but the latest news shows that the former top pick is "very unlikely" to be traded.
The news came as no surprise, as ESPN reporter Woj reported last week that Suns' efforts to trade Ayton have not yielded good results so far, calling the big man's market conditions "barren" and saying there is no "obvious deal" to be made.
A big part of Ayton's difficulty in trading may be his contract problems. Last summer, he signed a base-salary offer with the Pacers as a restricted free agent, and the Suns quickly opted to keep him on the team for the same price. Ayton's total salary over the next three seasons is as high as $102 million.
Ayton turns 25 next month and is notoriously on a bad relationship with former Suns coach Monty Williams. However, Gambadoro reported yesterday that Suns new coach Frank Vogel "likes" Ayton and hinted that this will be a big factor in his stay with the Suns.
Gambadoro has previously reported that the Wizards are interested in trading Bradley Beal for Ayton, but the Suns aren't interested. They eventually traded Chris Paul and Landry Shamet (as well as 6 second-round picks and 4 first-round pick swaps) for Beal.
According to Gambadoro, if the Suns ultimately decide to trade Ayton, they want his big contract to be reduced to zero in exchange for multiple role players to complement roster depth. After bringing in Bill, the Suns formed a new offensive trident, but the depth problem was even more worrisome.
Next season, Durant, Booker, Beal, and Ayton alone will have a total salary of $163 million, and if Ayton is not traded, the team has little room for follow-up reinforcements.
Last season, Ayton averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in the regular season, but averaged just 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in the playoffs.