The Phoenix Suns were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal on Thursday night, and the rumor mill has already begun to churn on the future of Deandre Ayton with the franchise.

The 24-year-old made it clear that he wants to remain in Arizona.

“I love Phoenix, man,” Ayton told reporters on Friday. “Honestly, I'm gonna continue to play hard for Phoenix.”

It was a tough end to the season for the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, who suffered a rib contusion in Tuesday's Game 5 loss and was unable to suit up on Thursday as Phoenix got embarrassed in front of the home crowd at Footprint Center.

But the big man was adamant that his future is with the Phoenix Suns, regardless of the postseason disappointment.

“I'm gonna keep repping Phoenix like I always been repping Phoenix,” he explained. “I don't listen to the outside noise. I'm here. Didn't finish off the season the way we wanted to, but, there's always next year and this summer is just more work…NBA teams are getting smarter and tougher, it's harder to win in the NBA, so there's a lot to focus on this summer.”

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The Suns reached the NBA Finals in 2021, but have suffered back-to-back disappointing playoff defeats in the Western Conference semifinals since. Both the 2022 and 2023 postseasons have ended in lopsided losses; to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 last season and in Game 6 against the Nuggets on Thursday.

Ayton and the Suns were unable to agree on a contract extension prior to the 2022-23 season; after he became a restricted free agent, he signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, the largest in league history. That was quickly matched by the Suns, and he signed the multi-year contract with the team in Jul. 2022.

Still, Phoenix is reportedly going to “aggressively” explore the trade market for the big man this summer. Deandre Ayton has made it clear he wants to stay with the Suns, and it'll be intriguing to see if he does indeed remain with the team this offseason.