If the Phoenix Suns could go back to September 2023, they'd tweak their Deandre Ayton three-team trade with the Trail Blazers and Bucks. Not because they wanted to retain the center (that's not the case at all!), but mainly because they regret losing Toumani Camara, who has developed into a key piece for Portland.
The 25-year-old is averaging a career-high 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 80 games this season for the Trail Blazers, shooting 44.4% from the field and 37.3% from three. Camara is averaging 7.2 attempts per game from deep, up from 4.6 last year, while maintaining similar efficiency (37.5% in 2024-25).
There isn't a surplus of 3-and-D wings hanging around in the NBA, making Camara's departure before he even played in a game for Phoenix sting even worse. That sense of regret will continue to linger as his career trajectory continues to trend upward.
Suns wish they would've kept Toumani Camara in Deandre Ayton trade
Camara has lasted longer in Portland than Ayton did, giving the team a reason to be thankful that they traded for the former No. 1 pick, whom they waived last summer, in the first place. The wing signed a four-year, $82 million extension in October, so he'll get quite the bump up in pay, going from making $2.2 million this season to $18 million in 2026-27.
That's a contract that Phoenix would've happily dished out, especially after it gave up its young talent and picks in the Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades. In case you need a refresher, the Suns traded five first-round picks, five pick swaps, Mikal Bridges (who the Nets traded to the Knicks for five first-rounders), Cam Johnson (Brooklyn got a first-round pick for him), and Chris Paul.
So, yeah, it'd be nice to have Camara in the desert. He'd fit in perfectly with the direction that the Suns are going in under Jordan Ott. If only.
It's not often that a late second-round pick turns out to look more like a lottery selection, but that's what's happened with Camara. Phoenix didn't realize just how much it was giving up to get Ayton. It didn't take the organization long to realize, though.
Once the dust from the trade cleared, the Suns were left with Grayson Allen, Keon Johnson, Nassir Little, and Jusuf Nurkic. Allen is the only one still in Phoenix. Little hasn't played in the desert (or in the NBA at all) for almost two years, but the Suns are still paying him through the 2028-29 season.
As much of a plus as ending the Ayton era was, it still managed to work against them.