With sights set on winning an NBA championship, Dan Bickley explains how the Damian Lillard trade including the Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks showed it was time for the Phoenix Suns to move on from Deandre Ayton.
Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Subscribe to the Arizona Sports daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/3QWcj1x
Read articles from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/
Download the Arizona Sports app: https://arizonasports.com/the-arizona-sports-98-7-fm-app/
Sign up for texts from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/text-alerts/
Listen live to Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/listen-live/
Follow the team: https://bit.ly/3R0PIAJ
ARIZONA SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaSports/
X: https://x.com/azsports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arizonasports987
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arizsports/
ARIZONA SPORTS PODCASTS: https://arizonasports.com/category/podcasts/
27 Comments
Man idk how to feel. I think we just traded for worse da
He always reminded me of this coworker I have at work. Young man is highly skilled and intelligent, easily could be one of the companies best employees, but he has no passion for the job, nor is particularly self motivated, so he pretty consistently gives minimum effort day in and day out. Every now and then a coworker or manager will light a fire under his back side, and for a short while he'll be a top peformer, but it never lasts, soon he's back to sleep walking through the work day. It's frustrating because one of my other coworkers IS passionate about the job, gives 100% effort every day, but just isn't very talent at what this job requires, so he works twice as hard and only ends up with end of day numbers that are slightly above the unmotivated coworkers.
This is what I watched with Ayton during his stay here, all the talent in the world, but he doesn't seem to enjoy basketball, has no passion for it or winning, he's here because the job pays well and he's got the skills necessary to keep a job, so most nights he gives the minimum required effort and no more. Every now and then his team mates or coach would light a fire under him and we'd see brief glimpses of what Ayton could be if he gave a full effort, but it never lasted, soon he was always back to his old ways, and his team mates and coaches just got more and more frustrated with him. Things reached critical mass when centers far less talented them him were actually outplaying him in the play offs simply through sheer effort, leading to him getting benched, and now traded.
At the end of the day I'm not mad we traded him, but I am disappointed with the haul we got for him, and that in trading him we helped one of the teams that will likely be among our biggest title competitors become significantly better. If our haul was better I could over look the latter, but if this was the best we could do, I don't know, I feel like it was worth keeping him around and seeing what the new coach could do with him. It's not like his value could get much lower next offseason.
For his sake I was hopeful he would break out and grow up with this coach and team this season. Just disappointing for someone who could have been a huge long term member of a championship TEAM.
He was the equivalent to overpaying your running back. The Suns didn’t need Max Pay at the center position.
You absolutely CAN blame him for his motor. He chose to play basketball professionally. All you have is what’s agreed upon with a Max Contract. Whether Monty was his arch enemy or not. You have a job to do and a ton of money to pay your life coach. Put the sticks down and grow up ya pansy! Take pride in your product!!! He thought too highly of himself actually and his product.
Bickley looks like my grandmother.
Championship imminent
If they do indeed trade Holiday then all of the pressure to make the Damian Lillard trade look good will be on him
Remember when Ayton said kobe and Shaq 2.0? Well the only similarity is the center being traded.
He’s a coaster, fun to watch, but not hard core, and that won’t fly with this squad
Don't be so happy. It could backfire 😢
Monty was a problem, Sarver was a problem. Mark Bryant as the centers coach? They did this kid no favors.
He wasn’t a number one pick personality. Won’t ever be. Nice guy but won’t ever finish first place. Now not our problem.
PerpetrAyton
I wanted to at least see him under Vogel, if he couldn’t get anything out of him trade him by February.
Underrated and underappreciated. Monty Williams was the wrong coach for him. Maybe time to move on from him, but only if we get good pieces in return. (We did not.)
Blazers with Holiday, DA, Simons & Scoot are a top 4-5 team in the West.
The team don' t have the culture of how to use tall guys Ayton was the best so far to play this position for phoenix. Screaming things don't make more true: We wasted a n°1draft not because of his level but because of misplaced pride in the locker room.He didn' have the right to take jumpers and we asked him to make the job for 2 in the paint where you cannot block a shot and secure a rebound at the same time . THe paint needed to be improved like all the 5 last champions . A tall guy like kareem abdul jabbar hakeem olajuwon etc they all get point guards with assist skills & a coach with tactics for them, It s a true work wich is not done,just by screaming and be severe…Our paint is weakened for a while with this trade and so our chance to be champion. I wouldn't be surprised if he scores 10 points more this season like bridges in brooklin with tactics where they don't have to play only 1vs1 or the "do me something chris paul".
I feel like this was the best time to trade him, his value was a bit higher from playing good in the Bahamas. Next year we could’ve got nothing for him if he played bad. Also did we want a guy who obviously doesn’t love Basketball as much as the other starters?
Guys, this is sad. This does not take several days of analysis. This is very simple. The trade made the team worse, not a lot worse but demonstratively worse. The Suns have no one to play defense and no one that can play both directions. They are going to turn the offense to 100%, do amazing in the regular season, and flame out in the playoffs where defense matters.
MaN look like lady
End of an era, NO MORE MASTERB-AYTON!!!
Phoenix would not have made the title game without Ayton. He was held back from day 1. It was always Bookers team. He’ll do great in Portland
DA is going to kill it in Portland
If we were going to trade Ayton away, do it when we are tanking, not trying to win. You don't trade to downgrade for an injury prone center and a bunch of vet minimum guys.
If fans are angry about this trade then they dont understand basketball team chemistry….DA impacted that for the last 2 years!
Good Deal PHX finally realized he had no skills to be a Top Center, he had mediocre skills, Maybe he will do better with another team…i doubt it….never should have got the Max Money Deal