Why Keeping Deandre Ayton Makes Most Sense For Title-Hoping Phoenix Suns

The question of Deandre Ayton's seemingly uncertain future appears to be with the Phoenix Suns and new head coach Frank Vogel at least in the short term and it may be for the best this offseason.

Ayton's name has been floated around in many trade rumors over the past couple of weeks since Phoenix acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, with many citing their lack of depth being the main reason for a possible trade.

Longtime Suns insider John Gambadoro has been repeatedly reiterating that Ayton would not be moved at all after the Wizards, according to him, wanted Ayton in the package that brought them Beal.

Fans have long been calling for Ayton's head to be put on the chopping block after the former No. 1 overall pick had put up dismal performances in both the regular season and the playoffs – many of which resulted in a Suns defeat.

"I am sticking with what I have been saying these last few days. It is very unlikely the Suns will trade Deandre Ayton," Gambadoro wrote this weekend.

Moreover, he was also the most vocal defender of Ayton's status in Phoenix after outright denying that the Suns had their eyes on trading Ayton for Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Drafting Ayton ahead of Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft had fans across the league ridiculing the Suns for doing so as the latter was believed to be the best and most NBA-ready player of that class, with the Suns opting to go for fit instead of the widely accepted "best player available" draft strategy.

For at least the first three seasons of his career, Ayton had been showing off the potential that earned the trust of the Suns front office as he was able to provide a co-starring role to Devin Booker and Phoenix's, at the time, young core.

With the arrival of Kevin Durant, Ayton was shunted to being a tertiary star and is expected to remain in that role with the addition of Beal, but there is high hope for him as gets to the practice court with Vogel.

Vogel has been a respected coach in the NBA since he turned lanky big man Roy Hibbert from a defense-centric five to a two-time All-Star that was a menace on both ends of the floor–something that Suns fans hope to see out of Ayton.

Because of how low Ayton's value is in the offseason following another disappointing showing in the 2023 postseason coupled with his newly signed extension, teams are wary to make a deal for him as a future franchise cornerstone.

The raw skills are there and Ayton has improved year-over-year despite some of it not showing up on the box stats.

With the reported rift between him and then-head coach Monty Williams being viewed as the root cause of his lack of effort, there is hope that the Bahamian big man can turn it around with a new head coach.

Gambadoro had previously cited that Vogel "reminds him (Ayton) of a more skilled Roy Hibbert" and if all goes according to plan, a new-look Ayton might unlock a new side to the Suns' game–all in the hopes of bringing home the franchise's first-ever NBA title.