5 Hypothetical trades that land Deandre Ayton on the Dallas Mavericks

4. Dream trade for the Suns

The Suns have the premium asset here. Ayton is a former number-one overall pick that helped them get to the NBA Finals in 2021 and to have the best regular season record in the league in 2022. He turns 25 years old in July and just averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game.

Phoenix will start the negotiations with a high price, but can they get it for Ayton? The Suns would likely ask for a package like this to begin the talks.

Dallas is not even in that ballpark. Ayton has star potential, but he has not produced like one on the court. Plus, Phoenix is not exactly operating with complete leverage. Two NBA insiders have already reported that Ayton has likely played his final game with the team, and Jake Fischer was asking the same question after the Suns were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Dallas is not going to give up two first-round picks, two role players, and a promising young talent. That is just too much for the 24-year-old. The Mavericks may look to keep Jaden Hardy out of any deal after he showed flashes as a rookie. They could counter with their dream offer for the former number-one overall pick.