The Suns are reportedly exploring trading Deandre Ayton, at the same time as they seek a solution for Chris Paul. These three deals could solve a lot of their problems.
News that the Suns were considering waiving Chris Paul, along with considering trades for him, added some early chaos to the NBA offseason rumor mill. The follow-up that they were also looking to trade Deandre Ayton was less surprising but potentially even more significant.
The Suns are absolutely looking to content next season so any transactions involving Paul or Ayton have to add talent and depth, or the financial flexibility to do the same. We haven't heard a ton of buzz on which teams are interested in Ayton but based on teams that were interested at the deadline or last summer, and teams whose rosters just make sense, here are a few deals that could help everyone.
3. Trade Deandre Ayton to the Golden State Warriors
The Ayton for Poole hypothetical started popping off almost before the Warriors were even eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers. Poole had a disastrous postseason and has since been publicly shaded by Steve Kerr for complaining about playing time. The two have salaries that are similar enough that they could be traded for each other, one-for-one, allowing each team to sweep away their problems in a single swoop.
In a vacuum, the deal makes a lot of sense. The Warriors get a potential defensive anchor, and a very different kind of offensive weapon to add versatility to their system. On the other hand, they already have Kevon Looney and Draymond Green and while they could use another big man, spending $30+ million on that position for the next three years may not be the best resource allocation.
For the Suns, Poole would be a nice boost to the second unit with his shooting and secondary creation and has experience playing off other dynamic offensive threats like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. But he's also not a Chris Paul replacement which means the Suns would have to use whatever salary cap space they get from trading or waiving Paul to now replace a starting point guard and a starting center. In addition, the Suns have to be wary of trading for Poole given how badly he struggled in this postseason.
So, it works in theory, but I think there are likely better options for both teams.
2. Trade Deandre Ayton to the New York Knicks
The Knicks have reportedly been chomping at the big for Karl-Anthony Towns trade and while Ayton is a very different kind of big man, it seems likely they'd be similarly interested. Ayton is not the cleanest fit next to Julius Randle but Randle likely holds no interest for the Suns. Still, the Knicks may see in Ayton a reasonable defensive anchor and a player with untapped offensive potential who could thrive alongside Jalen Brunson if given more primacy.
For the Knicks, there is also the upside of paying a far more reasonable price than they would likely have to pay to get Towns.
This may not be enough to get the deal down but they could conceivably get by just sending out Mitchell Robinson, Evan Fournier's salary, Obi Toppin and the Wizards' 2024 first-round pick. They would still have three picks in next year's draft, would expect an upgrade in two-way production at center and really only sacrificing Toppin whose ceiling looks far more like a solid rotation player than a future star at this point.
For the Suns, this may also not be the most inspiring package but it probably solves a lot more problems than just trading Ayton for Poole, straight-up. Robinson is a solid defensive replacement for Ayton and both he and Toppin (especially Toppin) could potentially have a lot more to offer on offensive playing with and off of Booker and Durant. The Wizards' pick is probably near the middle of the first round or late-lottery at best, but it helps recoup some of the picks they had to send out to acquire Durant. This deal also gives them the freedom to make the Chris Paul maneuvering just about a point guard replacement and added depth.
1. Trade Deandre Ayton to the Toronto Raptors
This is among the most complicated ideas in part because it involves two sign-and-trades that can't be packaged together in a single trade, according to CBA rules. That means the sign-and-trades for Poeltl and VanVleet would need to be two separate transactions that both work individually. It depends a little bit on the final salary figures of the new deals for VanVleet and Poeltl but the Suns could probably make it work with Ayton roughly lining up with VanVleet, with potentially another salary coming back. And Shamet and Wainwright combine to approximate Poeltl's salary.
To my mind, this is a best-case scenario for the Suns. They turn Ayton into two starters — a strong defensive anchor who can act as a distributor from the elbows and a borderline elite spot-up threat and secondary creator at point guard. They could then waive and stretch Paul, and use the full mid-level exception to chase additional depth.
For the Raptors, it might be hard to give up on Poeltl after they just acquired him. But Ayton has more two-way value and, younger, might be a better fit with a reloaded core around Scottie Barnes. VanVleet may be headed out in free agency anyway so this allows them to recoup some extra value.
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