NBA Trade Rumors: The Deandre Ayton three-team trade that makes the most sense for the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns and DeAndre Ayton have seemingly been destined for divorce for a while now. Even when he was a restricted free agent last offseason, it felt as if he was secondary to the Suns’ pursuits of Kevin Durant.
Once Ayton signed a 4-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, I felt like the Suns would just let Ayton walk and use it to create long-term flexibility. Phoenix matched the offer sheet however and brought Ayton back. While Ayton had another productive season, it still felt as if the two sides would be best off with Ayton getting a fresh start elsewhere.
That’s where this trade fits in. It gives the Suns a different look at the center position (that they hope can fit better alongside their star duo of KD and Devin Booker, and Ayton gets a fresh start somewhere where he can be a bigger piece of the offense. This is an important trade for all three franchises involved in my opinion.
The 3-team trade between the Suns, Pacers, and Hawks
Before we take a look at what the trade means for each team, let’s take a look at the stats for the three players involved:
- Deandre Ayton (24 years old) – 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. 58.9% FG
- Clint Capela (29 years old – 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. 65.3% FG
- Myles Turner (27 years old) – 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. 54.8% FG, 37.3% 3P.
Let’s explore how this trade makes sense for the Phoenix Suns.