It didn’t take long for Deandre Ayton trade rumors to pop up following the Suns’ disappointing playoff ouster Thursday.
Shortly after Phoenix fell to the Denver Nuggets, 125-100, in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series, a new report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said the Suns “are expected to aggressively explore the trade market” for Ayton this coming offseason.
The 24-year-old center — who signed a four-year, $133 million maximum contract extension with the Suns in July — “would be excited about a fresh start with another franchise,” MacMahon reported.
Ayton, who did not play in the Suns’ season-ending loss Thursday, did not have a great series against Denver and appeared to be disengaged at times.
He was benched in the Suns’ Game 3 win and struggled in matchups against Denver’s two-time MVP center, Nikola Jokic.
Despite all of that, league sources told MacMahon that “several teams are expected to show interest in acquiring” Ayton, who averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season.
That said, it appears the honeymoon is over for Ayton in Phoenix.
In fact, Ayton’s teammates reportedly have shared frustrations with their head coach, Monty Williams, “with what they perceive to be inconsistent effort and aggression,” from the athlete, according to MacMahon.
When asked Friday about reports surrounding his future, Ayton told reporters he doesn’t “listen to the outside noise.”
“Man I love Phoenix,” Ayton said. “Honestly, I’m going to continue playing hard for Phoenix and keep repping Phoenix… I don’t listen to the outside noise.
“I’m here, I’m happy. We didn’t finish off the season the way we wanted but there is always next year and this summer is just more work… there’s a lot to focus on this summer.”
When asked how he ignores the outside noise, Ayton said he lets his play do the talking.
“I let the peanut gallery keep going, then I shut them up with my performance,” he said.
The Suns’ priority is to surround their top offensive weapons, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, with quality role players who complement them well, according to the report.
Ayton’s time in Phoenix has been something of a rollercoaster.
He was displeased with the Suns back in Oct. 2021, when they wouldn’t budge on his push for a five-year max deal worth $172.5 million.
There were also rumors of tension between Ayton and the organization during last year’s postseason run, when Phoenix was eliminated by Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.
Ayton, the No. 1 pick by the Suns in 2018, allegedly had a verbal spat with Williams last spring and had to be separated by coaches.
Despite previous turmoil, Ayton re-signed with the Suns in July, which initially came via a matched offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN.
Phoenix general manager James Jones said at the time it was “important” and “critical” to match immediately — and that he had already informed Ayton the team planned to re-sign him.
“We wanted Deandre here,” Jones said at the time. “He’s vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. And throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours, that wasn’t something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.”
Ayton said during training camp that he and Williams did not speak throughout the summer, even after signing his new contract.
The center was brought in to complete a Big 3 with Booker and Chris Paul, who arrived in the summer of 2020.
Much like Ayton, Phoenix is also expected to explore what it might get if it trades veteran point guard Paul prior to a contact decision, according to ESPN.
Paul — who missed the final four games of the series against the Nuggets due to a strained left groin — is guaranteed more than half of his $30.8 million salary for next season, which would become fully guaranteed on June 28.
