Suns: Mock Trade Sends Deandre Ayton to Pelicans for No. 8 Pick

In a mock trade done by The Athletic, the Suns acquire a lottery pick and three players.

When talking about potential packages for Deandre Ayton, most trades revolve around centerpieces the Phoenix Suns could use to immediately retain their hopes for a championship.

We've seen potential names such as Clint Capela, Jerami Grant and Jusuf Nurkic tossed in trade packages in exchange for Ayton. 

However, we've yet to see any major possibilities evolve with a top pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. 

That is until The Athletic's William Guillory proposed a trade that involved Ayton packing his bags for New Orleans in exchange for three players and the No. 8 overall pick. 

"Though Ayton’s lack of aggression and physicality can be frustrating, it’s hard to deny just how talented he is," said Guillory. 

"He was spectacular in the first-round series against New Orleans, averaging 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting a whopping 70 percent from the field over six games. No, that’s not a typo. With Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Ayton, New Orleans would easily have the NBA’s best frontcourt of the future, and a trade of this nature would help Phoenix reset its roster without completely blowing things up around Devin Booker and Chris Paul."

Mock Trade

New Orleans Pelicans receive: Center Deandre Ayton

Phoenix Suns receive: No. 8 pick in 2022 NBA Draft, Center Jonas Valančiūnas, Power Forward Larry Nance Jr. and Point Guard Devonte’ Graham

From a team-building standpoint, there are a few things to consider here. 

Ayton's projected 2022 salary ($30,250,000) is barely edged by the combined $35.92 million of the three incoming players from New Orleans. While we don't precisely know what the No. 8 pick will sign for this year, last year's selection Franz Wagner made $5 million his first season. 

Player	2022-23 Cap Figure	Age at Start of Next Season	Under Contract Through
Jonas Valanciunas	$14.7 million	30	Next Two Seasons
Larry Nance Jr.	$9.672 million	30	Next Season
Devonte' Graham	$11.55 million	27	Next Three Seasons

The production of Valanciunas (17.8 points/11.4 rebounds per game) is notable from last season, and Graham's 11.9 points per game would be a scoring upgrade over nearly everybody in Phoenix's backcourt. 

Nance Jr. behind Crowder at power forward and whoever the Suns could grab at No. 8 in the draft would also be welcome additions. 

But would it realistically happen? 

"Ultimately, I don’t think this deal would make much sense for New Orleans because the Ayton contract would be so expensive. Handing out a four-year, $131.1 million deal to any center who hasn’t made an All-Star team would be fiscally irresponsible for most teams, and this Pelicans roster will get very expensive after Williamson presumably signs his extension this summer. Making it even more costly with Ayton would be bad roster-building."- The Athletic's William Guillory 

The jury will remain out on Ayton's future in Phoenix until the foreseeable future, at minimum until July 1 when the NBA's moratorium period begins. 

You're bound to see a plethora more of mock trades for Ayton, and that's working under the assumption (you know what happens when you assume) Ayton is as good as gone from the Suns next season. 

However, a mock deal such as this one provides a better insight into potential packages Phoenix could snag in exchange for their former No. 1 pick. 

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