NBA Trade Rumor: Mavs Make ‘Serious Play’ for Suns’ Deandre Ayton

According to one NBA insider, the Mavs recently pursued a trade for Deandre Ayton in the "last few days" but proved unable to get a deal done.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks used the 2023 NBA Draft to add Dereck Lively II after trading down to the 12th pick. Before doing so, there was a significant amount of reporting and speculation regarding possible trade outcomes for the Mavs using the 10th pick before the outcome was realized.

Between Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton, the Mavs have been linked to various veteran centers this offseason as the team seeks to overhaul its personnel at the position. No deal ended up transpiring, but they certainly tried.

According to Chris Haynes of Turner Sports, the Mavs recently made a "real serious play" to trade for Ayton from the Suns. Dallas proved unable to provide a sufficient trade package that Phoenix was willing to accept. 

"Not too long ago, the Dallas Mavericks made a play for Deandre Ayton," Haynes said. "They made a, they made a real serious play for Deandre Ayton. And it was not approved. .... It's something that the Phoenix Suns didn't feel — they didn't feel like it was an adequate enough package to make that deal. So that was pretty recent."

Haynes mentioned the Suns have communicated plans to keep Ayton despite all of the recent trade talks they've had with rival teams. However, it's important to keep an eye on future trade talks with teams like the Mavs, Indiana Pacers, or Toronto Raptors.

"Now I'm hearing that the [Suns] are keeping Ayton. So again, take from that as you will," Haynes explained. "Can the Dallas Mavericks or any other team like the Indiana Pacers or Toronto Raptors, could they swoop in and try to do something differently or try to improve those packages? They possibly could, but as of right now, the plans to keep and there were talks as recent as recently, the last few days, even before my report. [The] Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, they were in contact on a potential trade that did not get approved by the Phoenix Suns. So that's that."

Ayton, who averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last season, has become a consistent fixture in trade rumors since signing a four-year, $132.9 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers as a restricted free agent last summer. 

The Mavs would need to be very confident in Ayton's potential impact after a change of scenery to take on his contract. He has not lived up to being a former top overall draft pick, or even that of a max contract recipient. With a restrictive CBA being implemented, it's difficult to envision a team parting with major value to acquire him in a trade, resulting in what has become the present situation.

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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