Tag: DeAndre Ayton

Projected starting lineup for the Trail Blazers after trading Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic

This is a fun team that suddenly has a lot of youth and draft picks.

The Portland Trail Blazers traded longtime star Damian Lillard and got quite a hefty package of players and picks back in return.

Portland also moved on from Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson. But in return, they received former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton as their new big man of the future. In addition, they now have new role players such as Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have added three future first-round draft picks and two future pick swaps as part of the series of transactions.

The moves give an opportunity for 19-year-old guard Scoot Henderson to control the offense. Meanwhile, they also have increased opportunities for Shaedon Sharpe (20 years old) and Anfernee Simons (24 years old) as well.

Williams is expected to stay on the roster, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brogdon, meanwhile, could potentially get traded but also has a chance to stay in Portland as a veteran leader.

Another player who may crack the starting five for the Trail Blazers is Matisse Thybulle. Both he and Williams are strong defenders who could potentially provide either depth off the bench or in the first unit.

Despite a surprisingly large contract offered to Jerami Grant during the offseason, Portland has an otherwise exciting young roster to build around for the future.

Here is everything the Trail Blazers have received in return for Damian Lillard (so far)

This is MUCH better than what Miami reportedly offered.

After months of speculation, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard. In return, they have received a hefty package of players and picks.

The seven-time All-Star was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns. He was traded alongside former teammates Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

In return, the Trail Blazers received a package centered around Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday. Portland, however, then re-routed Holiday to the Boston Celtics and landed two helpful players (Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon) and additional draft assets.

RELATED: The fallout from the Damian Lillard trade might have the Trail Blazers in big trouble with the NBA

Portland sends:

  • Damian Lillard
  • Jusuf Nurkic (to PHX)
  • Nassir Little (to PHX)
  • Keon Johnson (to PHX)

 

Portland receives: 

  • Deandre Ayton (via Suns)
  • Robert Williams (via Celtics)
  • Malcolm Brogdon (via Celtics)
  • Toumani Camara (via Suns)
  • 2024 1st-round pick (via Warriors)
  • 2029 1st-round pick (via Bucks)
  • 2029 1st-round pick (via Celtics)
  • Two first-round pick swaps with Bucks (2028, 2030)

So that’s three first-round picks and two pick swaps as well as a former No. 1 pick (Ayton) and other valuable assets.

Meanwhile, the package could grow a bit more before it is all said and done. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers are expected to keep Williams to pair alongside Ayton in the frontcourt.

However, the trade package could continue to grow if Brogdon is traded to another team before the season begins at the end of the month.

All things considered, this return is obviously much better than anything the Miami Heat reportedly offered.

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Here is the projected starting lineup for the Suns after trading Deandre Ayton

This team can compete with anyone.

The Phoenix Suns made two of the biggest trades of the past season, impressively acquiring Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

These blockbuster moves immediately changed the landscape of the Western Conference. Beal is a three-time NBA All-Star who joins Durant (13-time NBA All-Star) and Booker (three-time All-Star).

Former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, meanwhile, was moved to Portland as part of a Damian Lillard trade to help land some depth in Phoenix.

Phoenix also made savvy moves by picking up strong role players like Yuta Watanabe, Drew Eubanks and Keita Bates-Diop. Based on our projections, here is how the starters will look in Phoenix:

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Damian Lillard trade grades: Who won the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Suns deal?

Who won this trade that pairs Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best players in the world?

Phew. What a blockbuster trade for a random late September day.

On Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers finally dealt Damian Lillard, shockingly sending him to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns. Lillard should fit in seamlessly, bolstering Milwaukee as a bona fide NBA title contender.

Meanwhile, Portland finally closes the door on the Lillard era and moves on to building around 2023 top draft pick Scoot Henderson. There’s a lot to unpack here on a move with significant ramifications for the NBA now and down the line.

Let’s hand out some grades for this monster deal.

Celtics HoFer Kevin Garnett on who drives the Phoenix Suns’ bus this season

If you ask Garnett which of the Phoenix Suns’ star players is the leader of the team, it won’t take The Big Ticket long to answer.

If you ask Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett which of the Phoenix Suns’ star players is the leader of the team, it won’t take The Big Ticket long to answer — Devin Booker. On a recent episode of the Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” podcast, Garnett emphasized that Booker is the primary focal point of the team despite the addition of such luminary names as Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, as well as the presence of former No. 1 pick of the 2018 NBA draft, Deandre Ayton.

A traditional post-up style might not be suitable for the Suns’ fast-paced, dynamic offensive strategy according to KG, who suggests Ayton become a versatile player, stretching the floor with 3-pointers and contributing as a screener and roller.

To hear more of Garnett’s assessment of the Western Conference’s newest superteam, check out the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The Bahamas had a super fun celebration after winning an Olympic basketball qualifying tournament

This was HISTORIC for the Bahamas.

Although the Bahamas did not qualify for the FIBA World Cup, the national team just went on a wildly impressive stretch of play.

The team played four games in a FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament over the course of the last week. Despite a low world ranking (56) in FIBA, they won four games in a row, including two shocking wins over Argentina (ranked fourth in the world) while playing at Estadio Ciudad in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

By winning this tournament, the Bahamian national team can make a bid for the 2024 Olympics in France at the FIBA ​​Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year.

The Bahamian national basketball team has never competed in the Olympics, so this was obviously exciting and the joy was palpable:

The Bahamas were led by Phoenix Suns teammates Deandre Ayton (15.5 ppg, 13.8 rpg and 1.3 spg) and Eric Gordon (20.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg). Gordon finished with 27 points while shooting 6-of-7 on 3-pointers.

Pacers wing Buddy Hield (19.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 spg) also played a massive role during the four-game tournament as well.

This was a huge step in the right direction for the Bahamas, coached by Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco. We wish we could see how they would fare in the upcoming FIBA World Cup!

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Trade rumor rankings: Damian Lillard, Paul George and more

HoopsHype ranks the five players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week including Paul George and Dame Lillard.

With the free-agent market in the NBA officially opening up tomorrow evening, trade speculation is hitting a fever pitch around the Association as teams look to the trade market for improvements due to how weak the free-agent class is this offseason.

We have already seen big names like Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis get traded and now all eyes turn to Damian Lillard as the potential next big domino to fall.

The Will he? Won’t He? with regard to a potential Lillard trade request appears as real as it’s ever been but still, we’ll have to see it to believe it.

Below, the five players who have appeared most often on our Trade Page over the previous week.

NBA fans were skeptical the Suns actually believed Deandre Ayton’s value is at an ‘all-time high’

This is EXACTLY how you talk about a player you’re trying to trade.

After trading for Bradley Beal, it’s safe to say the Phoenix Suns are all in on the Kevin Durant era. Phoenix, to date, has never won an NBA championship and clearly wants the triumvirate of Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker to be the players who finally win one for the franchise.

Apparently, the Suns still want center Deandre Ayton to be a part of that mission, too. Never mind how tight up against the salary cap the Suns would be if they rostered Durant, Beal, Booker, and Ayton. Never mind the thin depth of such a roster after ironically watching the Denver Nuggets finally break through, thanks to their entire extended rotation. And never mind the frustrations Ayton has previously had with the Phoenix organization.

With Beal in the fold, the Suns think Ayton’s value is at an “all-time high,” according to Chris Haynes. Sure. Alright. Whatever you say, folks!

Why would Ayton’s value be higher with the worst player of the Suns’ new scoring trio in the fold? This, to me, sounds more like the Suns couldn’t find a trade they liked for a 24-year-old, former No. 1 overall pick that averages 18 points and 10 boards a game. Endorsing a player with a talented but inconsistent reputation like this in public screams, “We don’t like current offers.”

So, instead of punting on Ayton for additional depth and role players, they’d rather temporarily eat the loss and just see what happens — meaning, hope his value rises before the 2024 trade deadline. It’s not hard to read through this subtext. Maybe Ayton does fit better in Phoenix with Beal around. But I find that sentiment challenging to believe now that he’s the definitive fourth-scoring priority.

Celtics reportedly have no interest in trading for Suns’ Deandre Ayton

Some fans will be disappointed to hear that the Celtics reportedly “have no interest in an Ayton deal”.

Fans of the Boston Celtics who have been hoping to pry away Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton will be disappointed to hear the Celtics reportedly “have no interest in an Ayton deal … due to his pricy contract.”

Ayton is scheduled to make nearly $32.5 million next season on a deal that runs through the 2025-26 season per MassLive’s Brian Robb. The final year of his contract comes in at $35.5 million, which would make filling out the rest of the roster very difficult under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The franchise will likely extend or re-sign its two star wings, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, to supermax deals.

Trading for Ayton would also require at least one of Boston’s better-paid backcourt players: Marcus Smart, Derrick White, or Malcolm Brogdon (who the Suns were reportedly interested in); to be included for it to make sense.

And with Bradley Beal now in the fold for Phoenix, it is all but certain the Suns will have little in the way of taste for bringing on another costly guard.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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7 wild Deandre Ayton trades, according to Trade Machine, after Suns’ Bradley Beal deal

Could Ayton be the next player the Suns deal?

Bradley Beal is now a Phoenix Sun, a surprise given how, uh, bad the trade was for the Washington Wizards.

But let’s focus on the Suns for the moment. They’ve dealt away so much depth, which might partially explain why their title odds improved just slightly, weird for a team with Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

That’s why the speculation has shifted to the franchise dealing Deandre Ayton. It would make some sense, right? They could use a different center given this current roster, along with way more depth.

Which leads us to fans delivering trade machine ideas involving Ayton: