After the Phoenix Suns hired Frank Vogel to become their next head coach, a lot of fans couldn't help but talk about Deandre Ayton. Of course, it's not in a good way.

Considering Vogel's reputation as a defensive maestro and Ayton's shortcomings on that area of the floor, people started questioning whether it's the end of the big man's tenure in Phoenix. His future has already been in doubt after their 2023 playoffs exit, and Vogel's hiring only fueled those rumors even more.

“Frank Vogel is one of the best defensive tacticians in the NBA. Consistently has his teams elite on that end of the floor. Vogel also puts a heavy emphasis on rim protecting bigs (ex: Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis). The big question now pivots to whether Deandre Ayton is a fit for Vogel’s system,” Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports wrote.

“I know many fans are done with Ayton. I don't blame them. Those fans will abhor the idea that Vogel might, just might, demand & ultimately yield awesome defensive effort out of Ayton. He did it in LA. It’s how they won the title. But does Vogel (or Ishbia/Jones) think DA can?” another commenter wrote.

Sure enough, a lot of fans wouldn't mind if the Suns end up trading Deandre Ayton for a player that will fit Frank Vogel's system better. A trade with the Indiana Pacers that will land Phoenix Myles Turner has been floated by a number of supporters, though it remains to be seen what the team will really do.

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Perhaps Vogel would want to give a look at Ayton first before making a decision. Whatever the case may be, though, one thing is clear: Ayton needs to have an increased commitment on defense and winning if he wants to thrive–whether that's in Phoenix or somewhere else.