• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cold Wire

Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment, TV, Tech ...

  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • MLB
  • Entertainment
  • World News
  • Cold Hard Facts
  • About
You are here: Home / Sports / NBA / 1 Monumental Move The Suns Must Make This Offseason

1 Monumental Move The Suns Must Make This Offseason

By Brian Haedrich June 25, 2022 @HaedrichBrian

Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns talks with Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns while taking on the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter of Game Six of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals at American Airlines Center on May 12, 2022 in Dallas, Texas.
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

 

At the conclusion of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Phoenix Suns were sitting pretty.

They finished 64-18, good for the top seed in the Western Conference by a sizeable eight games.

Chris Paul and Devin Booker both garnered MVP recognition, Deandre Ayton took another step forward in his development, and Mikal Bridges was in the running for DPOY.

They ran into more resistance than expected in the first round against the New Orleans Pelicans, but they were a better team than their seed portrayed.

And Phoenix seemed poised to cruise to the WCF after going up 2-0 on the Dallas Mavericks.

That is where things went downhill quickly.

The Mavericks advance to the conference finals for the first time since their 2011 championship season by eviscerating the league's No. 1 overall seed, Phoenix, on the Suns' homecourt by 33 points in a Game 7. Mavs-Warriors figures to be a good, old-fashioned showdown.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 16, 2022

The Suns lost four of their next five games and their season was over in a flash.

A 33-point demolishing in Game 7 led to some tense postgame moments about how it all went so wrong.

Ayton, their seemingly prized young-stud center, only played 17 minutes and got a less-than-ringing endorsement from his head coach.

Those comments paired with the fact the team did not offer him a contract extension last offseason have made his future murky.

To reach the mountaintop next year, the Suns will need to make one big move.

Even if that move has been widely reported.

 

Suns Must Trade Ayton

All signs seem to point to Ayton being traded this offseason.

Phoenix clearly is not as enthralled with the talented seven-footer as his play would suggest.

Otherwise, they would have offered the top overall pick from the 2018 NBA draft an extension.

Something they already did with Bridges.

Ayton’s love of video games could also be the reason behind Phoenix not extending him.

The big man himself has admitted video games impact his sleep schedule, sometimes reducing him to just two hours of sleep per night.

If that is causing him to be lethargic, tired, or disengaged at practice and in games, the Suns could be fed up with it all.

Woj says Phoenix is “very motivated” to find a sign-and-trade for Deandre Ayton.

“They do not value [Ayton] on a max contract.”

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) June 23, 2022

And if that is the case, Phoenix must move on from their young center.

Offering a max contract extension to a center that is potentially more committed to virtual basketball than real basketball would be a huge misstep.

Instead, Ayton should be used to bolster the Phoenix bench with “16 game players“.

The Suns’ bench was a strength all season.

But in the postseason, they did not have that one guy who stepped up big off the bench.

Cameron Johnson, JaVale McGee, and Cameron Payne are all quality role players but could have been better when it mattered most.

The NBA is a league dominated by two-way wings.

Trading their star center in Ayton to bring in more depth on the wing or off the bench would be a smart play.

    Get ALL the latest NBA news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Cold Wire NBA newsletter here!    

Recent News

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 23, 2020 in New York City.
Lakers Fans Continue To Toss Out Kyrie Irving Trade Ideas
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets rteacts to a call during the second half of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on February 26, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Video Shows How Kyrie Irving Can’t Be Stopped On Offense
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Capital One Arena on March 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. With the point, LeBron James passed Karl Malone to become second on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Lakers Fan Shares A Thrilling Finals Possibility

Filed Under: NBA, Phoenix Suns Rumors And News (Updated Daily) Tagged With: Phoenix Suns

About Brian Haedrich

Philly fan writing for The Cold Wire. Terp Alumn #TrustTheProcess

Suggest a correction

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow The Cold Wire!

Primary Sidebar

Search The Cold Wire

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Editorial Guidelines

Contact Us

Sitemap

Advertise

Follow us on

Copyright © 2022 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ·TheColdWire.com

Suggest a Correction

1 Monumental Move The Suns Must Make This Offseason

1000 characters remaining