Lebron23
01-15-2023, 08:13 PM
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The Phoenix Suns are currently languishing in their worst losing stretch in three years, having lost 16 of their last 21 games while the majority of their preferred playing rotation is out with injuries/holdouts. They sit in 10th place today, just a game out of 13th place but also only a game out of 6th place in tighttightight midseason Western Conference.
Vibes are tense. Players are lashing out at coaches, and coaches are getting frustrated with players. A lot of that washes away with wins, but the Suns aren’t winning anything.
It’s time for a change to the core of the team, even if they all magically get healthy in the next two weeks. The Suns have just under four weeks before the trade deadline on February 9, and today one more big asset became trade eligible.
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is trade eligible today, and though he still has veto power the way he’s carried himself this year you might expect him to welcome any trade that comes his way.
I’m ready for the Suns to trade Deandre Ayton if they can get back an All-Star who can help carry the Suns deep into the 2023 playoffs. In the current recovery timeline, all but Jae Crowder are expected back in the lineup within two weeks. If the Suns can mix up the talent a bit with a big trade, they will have 30+ games to find their mojo and hit the playoffs playing their best basketball.
Current trade assets include role players Dario Saric, Jae Crowder and Landry Shamet, plus every upcoming first round pick.
Ayton trumps those assets by a wide margin.
Per Collective Bargaining rules, the maximum-salaried Ayton was not eligible to be traded until today, January 15, after the Suns matched a four-year offer sheet he’d signed with the Indiana Pacers to get that second contract he had been wanting since the day he was drafted No. 1 overall 2018.
Famously, while doing media rounds ahead of the 2018 Draft, Ayton said success in the NBA is “getting to my second contract; that’s success.” He was widely derided for this comment because he failed to say the tried and true ‘be the best player in the league’ or ‘win a championship’ that every prospect says when asked that softball question. Instead, he openly admitted wanting money-making longevity*.
*Let’s be honest, readers. He’s not wrong. WE ALL want money-making longevity. We just don’t say it out loud when asked in a job interview. We don’t say ‘good enough to keep getting paid!’. But we still want it, and it’s still the driving force of nearly every adult decision we make.
In that same conversation, he cited the desire to be a role model for Bahamians. and Sacramento Kings guard] Buddy Hield, [Michigan State guard] Tum Tum [Nairn], they’re responding too. It’s huge to be part of that.”
In the four years since joining the Suns on a $40 million rookie contract, Ayton has quietly given significant time and money to causes that help his Bahamian people. And when he signed the $133 million contract for his next four years, he was proud that he can now provide generational wealth to his family and continue his good works.
“This is a blessing,” Ayton told ESPN’s Andscape in a phone conversation after signing his contract. “This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. That is the things that we go by.”
He’s moved many of his family and friends to the Phoenix area these last four years, often mentioning huge family dinners each Sunday, or whenever he’s available during the season. He relishes time with his son, born almost two years ago now, and constantly shares pictures and videos of them together on social media. His girlfriend and son are often at home games too, and he always takes time for special interactions with his son during pregame warmups an hour before tipoff. Off the court, Ayton is definitely getting the most out of his NBA career.
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2023/1/15/23556059/phoenix-suns-ayton-is-trade-eligible-today-and-the-clock-is-ticking-louder-on-james-jones-desk
The Phoenix Suns are currently languishing in their worst losing stretch in three years, having lost 16 of their last 21 games while the majority of their preferred playing rotation is out with injuries/holdouts. They sit in 10th place today, just a game out of 13th place but also only a game out of 6th place in tighttightight midseason Western Conference.
Vibes are tense. Players are lashing out at coaches, and coaches are getting frustrated with players. A lot of that washes away with wins, but the Suns aren’t winning anything.
It’s time for a change to the core of the team, even if they all magically get healthy in the next two weeks. The Suns have just under four weeks before the trade deadline on February 9, and today one more big asset became trade eligible.
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton is trade eligible today, and though he still has veto power the way he’s carried himself this year you might expect him to welcome any trade that comes his way.
I’m ready for the Suns to trade Deandre Ayton if they can get back an All-Star who can help carry the Suns deep into the 2023 playoffs. In the current recovery timeline, all but Jae Crowder are expected back in the lineup within two weeks. If the Suns can mix up the talent a bit with a big trade, they will have 30+ games to find their mojo and hit the playoffs playing their best basketball.
Current trade assets include role players Dario Saric, Jae Crowder and Landry Shamet, plus every upcoming first round pick.
Ayton trumps those assets by a wide margin.
Per Collective Bargaining rules, the maximum-salaried Ayton was not eligible to be traded until today, January 15, after the Suns matched a four-year offer sheet he’d signed with the Indiana Pacers to get that second contract he had been wanting since the day he was drafted No. 1 overall 2018.
Famously, while doing media rounds ahead of the 2018 Draft, Ayton said success in the NBA is “getting to my second contract; that’s success.” He was widely derided for this comment because he failed to say the tried and true ‘be the best player in the league’ or ‘win a championship’ that every prospect says when asked that softball question. Instead, he openly admitted wanting money-making longevity*.
*Let’s be honest, readers. He’s not wrong. WE ALL want money-making longevity. We just don’t say it out loud when asked in a job interview. We don’t say ‘good enough to keep getting paid!’. But we still want it, and it’s still the driving force of nearly every adult decision we make.
In that same conversation, he cited the desire to be a role model for Bahamians. and Sacramento Kings guard] Buddy Hield, [Michigan State guard] Tum Tum [Nairn], they’re responding too. It’s huge to be part of that.”
In the four years since joining the Suns on a $40 million rookie contract, Ayton has quietly given significant time and money to causes that help his Bahamian people. And when he signed the $133 million contract for his next four years, he was proud that he can now provide generational wealth to his family and continue his good works.
“This is a blessing,” Ayton told ESPN’s Andscape in a phone conversation after signing his contract. “This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. That is the things that we go by.”
He’s moved many of his family and friends to the Phoenix area these last four years, often mentioning huge family dinners each Sunday, or whenever he’s available during the season. He relishes time with his son, born almost two years ago now, and constantly shares pictures and videos of them together on social media. His girlfriend and son are often at home games too, and he always takes time for special interactions with his son during pregame warmups an hour before tipoff. Off the court, Ayton is definitely getting the most out of his NBA career.
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2023/1/15/23556059/phoenix-suns-ayton-is-trade-eligible-today-and-the-clock-is-ticking-louder-on-james-jones-desk