Suns prove they won at least one trade after Lakers get brutally swept

The Los Angeles Lakers saw their season end in the same way as the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, and none other than Dillon Brooks was along for the ride.

The Oklahoma City Thunder yet to drop a game having dispatched of both these opponents, although both franchises surely feel very different about the beatdown.

Lakers loss latest reminder Suns right to ditch Deandre Ayton

While the Suns can say that this was a season in which they defied expectations by even making it to the playoffs, the same cannot be said for Los Angeles.

One of the big moves they made to shore up their center rotation was sign Deandre Ayton after he was bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, trying to talk themselves into his talent.

Only it was none other than Lakers' head coach JJ Redick who was caught saying "I can't play him" as he was outworked by the Thunder on the boards in that series.

The knock on Ayton has always been his effort and energy levels, and to his credit during the regular season he was tuned in and not even asking for more touches and shots like he had in the past.

But when the games got the hardest and the Lakers needed another big body to stop this Thunder machine, Ayton was nowhere to be found.

This is even more disappointing for the Lakers because a bigger and mobile center is exactly how you combat what the Thunder try to do each night.

While the Suns had no more joy than their counterparts out West, they at least were again proven correct for moving on from Ayton in the first place.

Instead they had a rookie in Khaman Maluach who was easily outmatched, but who always tried on each possession and used his massive frame to give the Thunder something to think about at times.

It is unfortunate that Mark Williams couldn't make it onto the court, but even that is a better outcome than still having Ayton in The Valley.

At a time when the Lakers have Luka Doncic (even if he was injured for the entire postseason) plus Austin Reaves and LeBron James, they need a center who can help them contend now.

Ayton once again proved he was not that guy, and in doing so also showed the Suns that they got the most value back for his services when they moved him. A complete win for Phoenix.

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