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The Phoenix Suns lost in the NBA Finals a season ago and have found the same success this season as they sit at 22-5 with the second-best record in all of the NBA. Phoenix is only a half-game behind the Golden State Warriors.
If Phoenix had somebody who could slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA Finals, they might have been able to walk away with the title. The issue is, there's really nobody in the world that can stop Giannis, but there are some guys who probably could have contained him a bit more than DeAndre Ayton did. Ayton got in foul trouble a few times and allowed him to score 40-plus points in multiple games.
There's not necessarily an answer about Giannis, but the Suns did not offer Ayton the contract he was looking for before the season started and there was clearly some frustration between the Suns and Ayton. If Phoenix doesn't feel that he's going to be the guy of the future, Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers could be the perfect guy to play center for this Suns team.
Sabonis has been an All-Star the last two seasons and could very well be one once again this year. On the year he's averaging 18.6 points per game, 11.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. A season ago, he averaged 20 points per game, 12 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. He's not necessarily much better than DeAndre Ayton is, but he is more evolved in his career and could certainly help the Suns a bit more than Ayton at the moment. In a few years, Ayton might arguably be the best center in the NBA. He has shown throughout his young career that he can be very good. There are games where he plays with a chip on his shoulder and he can go get 20 points and 15 rebounds. The issue is he doesn't always play like that and he can have a game where he only has 12 points with eight rebounds.
Phoenix doesn't exactly have the largest title window at the moment unless they are planning to bring in another guy next to Devin Booker once Chris Paul retires. Paul doesn't look like he's going to slow down anytime soon as he has been carrying this team on his back ever since Booker has gone down with an injury. The reality is, Phoenix did not find much success before Paul was there and they are certainly going to have to find somebody who can play next to Booker at an elite level just like Paul is. Many people felt that the Suns could potentially bring a guy in like Jayson Tatum, or Karl-Anthony Towns in the future to pair next to Booker. Domantas Sabonis could be the perfect guy for them because their title window right now is only about two to three more years. If they feel like Ayton isn't exactly the guy who can help them win an NBA title, they should think about moving him for Sabonis.
It would be tough to trade Ayton because he obviously did everything he could last season. The best he has ever played was in the NBA Playoffs. The problem is when he got to the NBA finals, he was clearly outmatched again Giannis and didn't find much success against Brook Lopez in the paint. Again, not many people would find success against a guy like Giannis, and Brook Lopez is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, so it makes sense that he didn't play as well as he was in the earlier rounds.
The Deal Phoenix Would Have To Make
If Phoenix wants to make a deal with Indiana it would have to almost involve Ayton. The best trade that they could make for him is Ayton and Jalen Smith, who was their lottery pick in 2024 for Sabonis. Now, if the Suns can potentially get somebody back who could also be a nice player, potentially a guy like Justin Holiday, or others, it could be a better idea. There's not necessarily a reason to move Ayton, but there is certainly some sort of questioning from the front office because they did not give him the contract that he was looking for.
Phoenix probably wouldn't look to move any of their young guys besides Ayton because they are all on favorable contracts and play a perfect role for what this Suns team needs. They could potentially decide to get rid of a guy like Cam Payne, or Mikal Bridges, but getting rid of Payne, or Bridges wouldn't make much sense. They are perfect for the Suns and if they traded them they would be a much worse team.
Trading Ayton doesn't necessarily make sense, but if Phoenix isn't going to give him the money that he is looking for during the offseason, there's no reason to not get somebody back for him. Domantas Sabonis could be the perfect guy for Phoenix.
