Wizards come away with elite big pairing in latest trade idea

What does this Wizards trade look like?

The reason the door is open to a trade like this is that the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton don’t have the best relationship, and one manifestation was that the Suns forced Ayton to go out and find himself a max contract offer from the Indiana Pacers. The Suns then matched, but things have seemed off ever since.

Even so, with Ayton making $30.9 million in the first season of a max deal, the Wizards have to stack up a few salaries to get to Ayton’s number. Here’s one way they could do that:

The Suns would need to cut a few back-end players to take on four new players, but likely all four would factor in the rotation for Phoenix. Monte Morris would be an upgrade on Cam Payne at backup point guard, Daniel Gafford and Kyle Kuzma would probably start at the 4 and 5, and Rui Hachimura and Cameron Johnson would be the forwards off of the bench.

There is certainly a logic to this for Phoenix. The relationship with Ayton could continue to deteriorate, and this deal would really stock the cupboard for a team that has struggled with injuries. On the other hand, winning a title means getting those players healthy anyways, and with Chris Paul aging quickly the Suns need a second star, and quickly.

Do they think Ayton or Kuzma is the better pick to take that step? The answer is probably Ayton, but if the gap is close enough the depth here could get it done.