Getty Image / Christian Petersen
During this year’s NBA offseason, few teams have been as busy as the Phoenix Suns.
They made the first big move of the offseason when they secured a trade for Bradley Beal.
At first, it seemed they wouldn’t be done there as they were reported to be trying to trade Deandre Ayton.
Based on a new report, they were actually pretty close to getting a deal done that would have sent Ayton to another Western Conference team.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Suns were working on a deal that would have sent Ayton to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr and Richaun Holmes, but the the Mavs wanted to include Javale McGee and the Suns weren’t interested.
The Suns signaled over the weekend that they are moving forward with Deandre Ayton on their team. It was a different story just a few days earlier.
Full story … which has been updated to reflect the three-team trade construction discussed on draft night: https://t.co/aNf4eR7dnZ https://t.co/HNoujaKuzn pic.twitter.com/pBfHoEqcml
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 27, 2023
This deal not getting done was probably better for the Suns.
Right now, the Suns need 2 things. They need a point guard and they need depth.
This move definitely wasn’t getting them a point guard and wouldn’t have really helped their depth.
Hardaway Jr is a solid player, but Ayton is better and younger. Swapping those two would leave the Suns looking for a center and would really just make their starting lineup worse.
Meanwhile, Holmes played 8.3 minutes per game last season.
For whatever reason, the Suns have been set on trading Ayton this offseason, but they should really only be doing it if they can get a deal that will actually help them win next season.
They don’t need to take a deal just to get rid of him. He’s averaged a double-double every season of his NBA, still has room to continue developing at just 24, and should have a better relationship with the team’s new coach.
Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns have had some issues during the last couple of playoff runs, but they shouldn’t trade him unless they can actually get something in return that will help them win their first ring.