The Phoenix Suns may have exited the two previous playoffs in the most embarrassing fashion possible, but they are not a franchise that stays down for long. The Suns acquired Kevin Durant in the middle of last season, and now, following a crushing Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, they have traded for Bradley Beal to up their team's talent base even further.

Of course, the burning question for the Suns that will need answering soon is how will they round out their core four of Durant, Beal, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton with the limited resources they have? They have no first-round picks to trade, no midsized contracts around that grease the wheels in potential deals, and they don't have much to offer in a trade in terms of player capital.

At the moment, the Suns have only six players under contract for next season, assuming that they guarantee Cameron Payne's contract and they accept Ish Wainright's team option. That means there remains a lot of work for the Suns front office to do to ensure that their All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal doesn't end up being yet another one of those expensive failures.

With that said, Deandre Ayton and his contract worth around $102 million total for the next three years stands out as the Suns' most likely route when it comes to surrounding the roster with quality players. Trading Ayton may be a necessity at this point, especially if the Suns' reported free agency plans are any indication of what's to come.

Here is one Ayton trade the Suns must pursue in an attempt to better balance out their top-heavy roster.

Suns trade away Deandre Ayton and Ish Wainright to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier, Cody Martin, and Mark Williams

Is that the return the Suns would want for a former first overall pick? Certainly not. Deandre Ayton, for all his faults, remains a nightly double-double threat, having averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds for his career. However, it's Ayton's lack in the nitty-gritty parts of the game — the hustle, the tenacity when finishing at the rim — that has clouded fans' perception of his game. Some of that cloud may be warranted, but at the end of the day, Ayton is a safely above-average player whom the Suns don't necessarily have to move.

But in today's NBA, it's hard to win with a stars and scrubs approach. Even the 2011 Miami Heat, a team that had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh at the height of their powers, had difficulties winning a championship due to their lackluster supporting cast.

Thus, dealing away Deandre Ayton for this package may not be the most appealing return for someone who was once held at a high regard, but it certainly addresses a few of the Suns' roster needs.

For starters, Terry Rozier gives the Suns depth at point guard. With him and Cameron Payne manning the point, the Suns have two players who can space the floor for the Big Three to get to work as well as players who can attack closeouts with ease. Rozier can also perhaps rekindle the defensive side of his game as he need not shoulder too heavy of an offensive burden in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Cody Martin should give the Suns a 3 and D option on the wing. And maybe he can even channel some Caleb Martin magic in the playoffs!

Acquiring Mark Williams, however, should be the biggest win here. Williams did not have the most fruitful rookie season he could have had due to the thumb injury he suffered as well as the Hornets' funky rotation choices to end the year. But the 21-year old center should give the Suns an intimidating presence on the interior who won't have Deandre Ayton's need for touches.

Williams' block rate of 4.7 percent would have ranked third in the entire league behind only Nic Claxton and Brook Lopez had he played in enough games. Meanwhile, his rebound percentage in his rookie season matched Ayton's best output in his five years in the league thus far.

A rotation of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Terry Rozier, Cameron Payne, Mark Williams, and Cody Martin doesn't look bad at all. In fact, that is certainly a more balanced team than the Suns' current roster plus a few of their own free agents such as Josh Okogie, Torrey Craig, Jock Landale, and Terrence Ross.

As for the Hornets, acquiring Deandre Ayton should give LaMelo Ball a strong partner on the pick-and-roll. Ayton should also have more freedom to demand touches on the block, as he prefers to work more from the midrange than near the rim. He could become a 22-12 threat in Charlotte, especially with a talented playmaker like Ball around to get the best out of him. And who knows maybe the Hornets even challenge for a playoff spot if they swing a trade for Brandon Ingram using the second overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft?

This has all the possibility of becoming a win-win trade… if only the Suns take a leap of faith and try to distribute the resources they're using on Ayton to fill out the rest of the roster.