07-24-2023, 11:39 PM
(07-24-2023, 11:29 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: Tim Cato had a mailbag today and answered a bunch of questions. This one stood out to me:
John J. asks, “Is the Deandre Ayton trade dead?”
Yes, the Phoenix Suns decided not to trade him. It had nothing to do with Dallas. I’m not sure Phoenix seriously considered the reported package — Hardaway, Holmes and JaVale McGee, per Marc Stein — and I’m not sure Dallas would have been willing to offer more. As a pure talent upgrade, it made sense even with Ayton’s uncertain fit. (My perception is that there was a wide range of opinions within the Mavericks’ organization about Ayton and how he would perform here.) But unless Phoenix has renewed interest in trading Ayton far below his potential trade value, which to my understanding was the primary reason the team decided not to deal him, I can’t see him ending up in Dallas, even at a later point.