The Phoenix Suns took Deandre Ayton with the number one overall pick in the 2018 draft over Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jaren Jackson Jr. He had massive upside and helped the franchise reach the NBA Finals in 2021 before things quickly went sour. There was a disconnect with head coach Monty Williams and several on-court questions. The Suns finally moved on in 2023 by getting involved in a blockbuster.
Phoenix helped facilitate the Damian Lillard trade. They saw a chance to land Jusuf Nurkic from Portland to be their starting center. The Suns picked up Grayson Allen, Keon Johnson, and Nassir Little as part of the package. They traded one problematic center for another. Adding a sharpshooter helped, but was not enough to make it worth it.
The Suns were forced to trade Nurkic after demoting him to the bench. It cost them even more and made the Ayton trade look that much worse.
Full details of Suns return for Deandre Ayton after Jusuf Nurkic trade
The Suns traded a recently available 2026 first-round draft pick and Nurkic to get Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick. Giving up the best asset in the deal hurt, but was necessary to get the Hornets to take on Nurkic’s $19.3 million contract for the 2025-26 season.
Phoenix has dealt with several headaches in the Mat Ishbia era, and the biggest may be on the horizon. The Suns made a mistake by selecting Ayton over two perennial MVP candidates, but things got worse from there. They did make the NBA Finals in 2021, but could not muster much in return for Ayton.
Keon Johnson was waived before ever playing a game with the Suns. He is still in the NBA, but never helped Phoenix.
Nassir Little averaged 10.2 minutes per game in his lone season with the Suns before Phoenix stretched and waived his contract. He will be on their books through the 2028-29 season.
Grayson Allen is still shooting the lights out but has settled into a reserve role playing around 25 minutes per contest. He has defensive questions and struggled mightily in their first-round playoff loss in 2024.
The Suns hope Martin and Micic can become fixtures in their rotation that help them win. If not, this trade will look even worse. Phoenix gave up Ayton and a first-round pick to get the two players from Charlotte, Allen, Johnson, Little, and 101 forgettable games for Nurkic. That is not great for a number one overall pick the Suns hoped transformed their franchise. Even worse when they hoped to chase a championship during that stretch.
The Phoenix Suns regret drafting Deandre Ayton and giving him a massive extension. It made him difficult to trade and helped put them in this position. The Suns are still not title contenders and have massive questions to answer after this season. Things are not great and are likely to get worse. This was just one of the many moves that helped them get here.