Three Big NBA Draft Trades I'd Like to See

Deandre Ayton appears to be available, as are a number of 2022 draft picks. Here are three trade ideas involving Ayton and significant draft picks

As we get closer to the June 23 NBA draft, trade speculation about Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton continues to get louder. 

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has reportedly sought a five-year maximum extension worth more than $175 million, a contract that Phoenix has been unwilling to offer despite his role in the team’s success the past two seasons, during which the Suns have made the NBA Finals and posted the NBA’s best record.

Meanwhile, Ayton has watched as Luka Dončić and Trae Young — Ayton’s classmates from the 2018 draft — have signed massive extensions valued at over $200 million each. Furthermore, 2018 draftees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. have inked deals worth up to $170 million in what have appeared to be effortless negotiations with their respective clubs.

With Ayton just a couple of weeks from reaching restricted free agency, Phoenix is reportedly willing to entertain sign-and-trade talks involving Ayton with several teams interested in acquiring the services of the 23-year-old center and signing him to, presumably, a max contract.

Given the Suns’ apparent willingness to move Ayton, here are three trade ideas I’d like to see these teams explore.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)