Frequently (or MUST) asked questions before considering a trade
All of that said, there are a great number of questions that must be considered by James and Phoenix management if they were to consider making a run at the superstar center at the cost of Deandre Ayton:
Q: Is Anthony Davis better than Deandre Ayton?
A: Without a doubt.
Q: Would Anthony Davis make the Phoenix Suns better than Ayton would next season?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Would he make the Suns a playoff team?
A: Probably (he has never played with anyone as good as Devin Booker), although I would not bet a mortgage payment on it without seeing the rest of the assembled roster.
Q: Would the Suns have to give up their draft pick along with Ayton in order to make the trade work?
A: Very likely.
Phoenix Suns
Q: Would the draft pick’s placement matter?
A: You better believe it. One is much better than seven.
Q: Would he re-sign?
A: Never say never – especially if the Suns are winning and he is having fun. It does not matter to me that the he supposedly wanted to go to the Lakers (or L.A. in general). Money talks and winning is fun. If Phoenix did well next season with him, they made the playoffs, made at least a little run and showed still more room for growth, he and Booker got along swimmingly, and in the end the Suns did not hesitate in offering him a max contract, if you can prove to me now that Davis would never re-sign considering those circumstances, I do not make the trade. But you can’t, therefore it could still be a possibility – and potentially a strong enough one for the Suns if they have any inkling of making this trade.
Q: Could Deandre Ayton make the Suns a playoff team next season?
A: Depending on how he improves, how his utilization is changed under Monty, and what the rest of the roster looks like, yes.
Q: Is it as sure a thing as the addition of Davis?
A: No.
Q: Could Ayton be at the level of Davis in the next couple of years?
A: Possibly, although to say that Ayton “will be” would be foolish as Davis is a one-in-a-million player. But the Suns were certainly expecting Ayton would be great when they took him first overall.
Q: Would the addition of Davis’ giant contract plus Booker’s new max contract make more additions to the roster more difficult?
A: Yes, they’d pretty much be done this offseason after that one move. At that point (depending on who is left on the roster), fans had better hope that Kelly Oubre Jr. isn’t offered a contract in restricted free agency that prices Phoenix out, and that whoever is left among Josh Jackson, Mikal Bridges, and T.J. Warren, can continue to grow and develop into stars themselves, or at least really good third wheels.