The Phoenix Suns had a championship-caliber basketball team that was stunningly defeated in the Western Conference Semifinals last month.
General Manager James Jones must decide if running it back is the best option, or if the roster needs some tweaking.
The biggest question surrounds the future of standout center Deandre Ayton, who is a restricted free agent as the negotiating period begins on Thursday.
Here are the odds for Ayton’s next team, according to DraftKings on the morning of June 27.
Phoenix Suns (+100): Jones has spoken of continuity, which makes sense considering the Suns finished with the best record in the NBA and were the title favorites heading into the playoffs. However, the Mavericks exposed the team’s flaws, and there is a school of thought that the Suns should not give Ayton max money and instead allocate those resources elsewhere.
Based on all the comments and reports, it seems like the Suns would be fine dealing Ayton in a sign-and-trade, and these odds reflect that. However, there is no clear destination, which lowers the odds that something like that will happen. Despite all of the offseason chatter, a return to Phoenix remains the most likely scenario for Ayton.
Detroit Pistons (+200): If Ayton ends up anywhere else, the consensus is that the Pistons are the team that make the most sense. They have the strongest odds, by far, of any other team and have the cap flexibility to make such a move work. However, draft day could have put a wrinkle into those potential plans, as Detroit landed Memphis big man Jalen Duren in a trade with the New York Knicks.
Duren is only 18 years old and raw, so the Pistons could certainly still trade for Ayton to accelerate their timeline toward competitiveness. However, there have been reports that Detroit is fine building around youngsters Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Duren, which would likely rule them out of the Ayton sweepstakes.
San Antonio Spurs (+900): This would be interesting because the Suns and Spurs had one of the fiercest rivalries in the NBA during the Steve Nash days. It has cooled in recent years, and if San Antonio wants Ayton badly enough, the sides could likely work out a sign-and-trade agreement. The Spurs are in the midst of a rebuild after such a long stretch of dominance, and the addition of Ayton could help accelerate their push toward the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers (+1000): The Pacers have a lot of flexibility in free agency. Most analysts expect them to take things slow in a rebuild as they are expected to ship off many veterans and turn toward youth. However, Ayton is only 23 years old and could be a linchpin down low alongside some intriguing pieces like Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin.
Atlanta Hawks (+1200): Ayton has been linked to the Hawks for a while, and the idea of teaming him with Trae Young is intriguing. The Hawks seem interested, although there is buzz that they don’t want to sign Ayton to a max contract. That could be a sticking point, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick is clearly looking to cash in this offseason. Ayton’s future is hard to decode, because sometimes he looks like a star and other times he gets lost in the shuffle. Atlanta would need to be confident in his ability in order for this to be a match.
A longshot to consider
Brooklyn Nets (+2200): Negotiations between Kyrie Irving and the Nets don’t seem to be going too great, and now there is buzz that the talented point guard wants out. Where would that leave Kevin Durant? If KD is also trying to leave Brooklyn, Phoenix would make a lot of sense as a destination to play with Devin Booker and Chris Paul. The Suns could offer an enticing package that could be headlined by Ayton, which makes Brooklyn an intriguing longshot wager that would pay off really nicely if it comes to fruition.
The rest of Ayton’s next team odds
Toronto Raptors +2000
Portland Trail Blazers +2500
Houston Rockets +2500
Washington Wizards +3000
New Orleans Pelicans +3500
Chicago Bulls +3500
Oklahoma City Thunder +4000
Utah Jazz +4500
Orlando Magic +5000
New York Knicks +5000
Memphis Grizzlies +6500
Golden State Warriors +6500
Sacramento Kings +7000
Los Angeles Clippers +7000
Dallas Mavericks +7000
Minnesota Timberwolves +8000
Milwaukee Bucks +8000
Los Angeles Lakers +9000
Miami Heat +9000
Boston Celtics +9000
Philadelphia 76ers +10000
Denver Nuggets +10000
Cleveland Cavaliers +10000
