Report: Deandre Ayton 'More Likely Than Not' To Be With New Team Next Season

The Phoenix Suns may be ready to move on from Deandre Ayton this summer but don't expect the Toronto Raptors to make a big move

Aaron Rose | Jun 6, 2022

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Deandre Ayton is expected to be on the move this summer.

The 23-year-old former No. 1 pick for the Phoenix Suns is "more likely than not" to have a new team next year, according to The Athletic's James L. Edwards and John Hollinger.

The Suns did not offer Ayton a max contract extension last summer and now the 6-foot-11 center is heading into restricted free agency this summer in search of a massive payday either from Phoenix or another franchise ready to pounce on the skilled big man.

"For whatever reason, I don’t think Phoenix is totally comfortable going forward with him on a big-money deal, and I think Ayton might be okay with going somewhere else if he can have a bigger offensive role," Hollinger wrote.

The Detroit Pistons have popped up as a team to watch in the Ayton sweepstakes, per The Athletic.

The Toronto Raptors have long been rumored to be looking for a center to stabilize the starting rotation, though the extent of that search seems overstated. Toronto has made it clear the organization is looking for versatile wings and is not desperately trying to acquire players who do not fit the Raptors' system.

Without cap space to outright sign Ayton this summer, Toronto's options for acquiring the big man are pretty limited. It would require parting ways with at least one, if not two members of the Raptors core in a sign-and-trade with Pheonix, making any deal highly unlikely.

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