Report: Suns likely to trade one high-profile player this summer

The Phoenix Suns are facing a pivotal offseason if they want to maximize what is left of their championship window, and that could involve moving on from one key player.

In an appearance on the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon voiced his belief that the Suns are likely to try to trade center Deandre Ayton this summer.

“It’s been well-chronicled, the headbutting between Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams, but by no stretch do I believe that Monty Williams’ departure makes it much more likely for Deandre Ayton to still be in Phoenix next season,” MacMahon said. “I still am pretty sure Deandre will be traded this summer.”

Ayton simply has not seemed to fit in with what the Suns are trying to build. He clashed with ex-coach Monty Williams and did not look like he wanted to be in Phoenix even after the Suns brought him back for four years and $133 million by matching an offer sheet from Indiana. That narrative never changed, and if anything, Ayton’s miserable postseason only reinforced it.

Ayton is still just 24 and coming off a season that saw him average 18 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, but his trade value is probably not as high as it once was. Still, moving him for depth would not be a bad idea for a top-heavy Suns team.