Soon after the Phoenix Suns lost their second-round series to the Denver Nuggets midway through last week, rumblings started surfacing suggesting that major shakeups could be coming. These could include big man Deandre Ayton being shopped on the trade market this coming summer.
Despite his admission of being content with remaining part of the franchise moving forward, trade chatter has only grown. Recently, it has come to light that both the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers are looking into the 24-year-old's availability, per a report by Hoops Wire's Sam Amico.
“The Suns are likely to reach out to the Pacers about a potential trade centered on Ayton, sources said. Indiana signed Ayton to an offer sheet last summer, prompting the Suns to match and keep him. The Blazers may be among the teams interested in Ayton, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Portland was linked to Ayton last summer when he was a restricted free agent,” Amico wrote.
As mentioned in the report, both teams have shown an interest in Ayton in the past. The Pacers actually inked him to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet last summer (the biggest in NBA history) before the Suns ultimately matched it.
Now, after an up-and-down campaign, it appears Phoenix is regretting its decision to match. However, the rebuilding Pacers are still open to bringing on the former number one overall pick. Ayton finished off his fifth NBA season in with per-game averages of 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists. He also was just shy of a block per contest and shot 58.9 percent from the field.
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