Wizards Asked for Deandre Ayton in Trade With Suns

The Phoenix Suns said no to a trade involving Deandre Ayton, at least with the Washington Wizards.

The Phoenix Suns are still working to finalize framework of a deal that will net them star guard Bradley Beal among two other players from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, a handful of second-round draft picks and future pick swaps. 

Though details are still being worked through, it's quite the steal for the Suns to land one of the better scorers in the NBA considering what they're giving up. Beal waived his no-trade clause to land in Phoenix to team up with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in hopes of winning a coveted first NBA title here in the Valley. 

Beal ultimately dictated who Washington could negotiate with, and despite having little leverage, the Wizards tried their best to get an equal package in return - which included Deandre Ayton according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro.

Gambo says the Suns were unwilling to include Ayton in the deal despite Washington asking for the 24-year-old center. 

Yes. Washington did ask for Deandre Ayton in the Beal trade and the Suns were unwilling to include him in the deal. https://t.co/hMSZfNts4E

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 19, 2023

Earlier today, NBA insider Shams Charania reported the trade market around Ayton is heating up after the Beal trade was announced. 

“A lot of weapons for sure," Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show. "And Deandre Ayton will be your fourth-best player on this team. We’ll see if he’s going to be there. One thing that has happened since this trade is Phoenix has been getting a lot of calls on Deandre Ayton in the last 12-18 hours. Teams are seeing if now Deandre Ayton is a little more attainable. We’ll see if he’s going to be back on the team or not next year."

The Suns - who have been heavily connected to Ayton trade rumors for the past few years now - are expected to explore his trade market and potentially receive players who can become key role players behind Beal, Durant and Booker. 

At least we can cross one team off the list.