Deandre Ayton Rumors: 'Not Impossible' Suns Keep Center Next Season amid Trade Buzz

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton has been included in various trade rumors over the last year, and especially this summer following the team's disappointing loss to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals.

However, it doesn't appear that the franchise is 100 percent committed to moving him this offseason.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Tuesday on Pardon the Interruption:

"They aren't going to make a trade that is disadvantageous to them. So I do think it's not impossible that they can keep him through the offseason and see if they do something else later. I will say that when Frank Vogel got this job, one of the reasons I think he impressed the Suns is that he had a plan for Deandre Ayton. And if you look at the way that he coached when he was with the Pacers and was with the Lakers, he was very effective at using big men and using them defensively. I'm not saying Ayton is Dwight Howard or Roy Hibbert, but I do think that it isn't impossible that Ayton could start the season with them."

Windhorst also said Tuesday that the Suns are "trying" to trade Ayton, which they've been attempting to do for a while due to his fit on the team and his salary.

Ayton has been included in trade rumors since the 2021-22 season following the end of his entry-level contract when he became a restricted free agent.

The 24-year-old signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers in July 2022, but the Suns matched the offer to avoid losing him for nothing. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Windhorst reported in October 2021 that the big man was initially looking for a five-year, $172.5 million maximum extension.

Ayton is under contract with the Suns through 2025-26 and he will earn $32.5 million next season. Following the additions of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal over the last year, Ayton's salary is just too significant for Phoenix if it wants any sort of roster depth.

Durant has a $47.6 million cap hit in 2023-24 and Beal has a $46.7 million cap hit for next season. Devin Booker will also have a $36 million cap hit next season before his four-year, $224 million supermax extension kicks in during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Suns selected Ayton with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, and he has had a solid five-year career in the desert. He's coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 67 games while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor.

It's unclear which teams might have interest in Ayton this summer, but he would undoubtedly be an intriguing addition for any contending team.

If he remains in Phoenix, the Suns will have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA as they aim to win their first title in franchise history.