The Suns’ Deandre Ayton is no longer on the Pistons’ wish list
Many expected a deal to be finalized in the coming days, but with the roster now loaded the Pistons have turned their attention to building balance.
The 2022 NBA Draft went up down and all around, in one of the most eventful Draft nights that we’ve seen in recent memory and it seems like Detroit played their cards the right way.
The Detroit Pistons were big winners in the NBA Draft
When the Sacramento Kings passed on Purdue’s guard Jaden Ivey, it was perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the night, but what it allowed as a result was an opportunity for the Detroit Pistons to select him with the No. 5 overall pick in the Draft. Yet, the Pistons weren’t done there as later in the night they would also orchestrate a trade with the New York Knicks, in which they acquired the No. 13 overall pick. Detroit then used said pick on Jalen Duren of the Memphis Grizzlies. That’s to say that in a short space of time on Thursday night, the Pistons signed two top tier athletic talents and with that more or less revamped their franchise.
What about the Deandre Ayton to Pistons deal?
With the Pistons as obvious winners on Draft night, the focus immediately turned to the knock on effects caused by their shrewd transactions. One such effect was the one witnessed in the scenario involving another Detroit target. It was just earlier this month, when reports suggested that the Pistons were going to use the cap space created by the trade of Jerami Grant to make a move for Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton. With the Suns star expected to opt for a max deal and the Pistons being one of the few teams with enough cap space to facilitate him, a deal simply made sense. That is of course until they effectively secured themselves two franchise players in the 2022 NBA Draft.
With things as they are now, sources indicate that the Pistons are in fact more interested in building around a young core, as they attempt to become championship contenders once again. Indeed, reports have suggested that rather than spending their remaining cap space on one big acquisition, they would prefer to add a variety of veterans to the mix. This is of course a sharp turn around following the last two days, which saw all chatter leaning in the direction of Ayton being Detroit’s primary target. This after all is a team that not only acquired an additional $20 million in cap space, but also managed to acquire two of the best young prospects around.
What now for the Detroit Pistons and Deandre Ayton?
Where the Pistons are concerned, it’s clear that the arrival of Duren will please the already stellar Isaiah Stewart in Detroit’s front court. Ayton it must be said is a talented player, but with the kind of personnel that Detroit now has on its roster, is there really a need to offer the big man a max deal? Which brings us to the future of Ayton himself.
To be frank there are only a handful of teams that can afford to take on the Grizzlies star. Off the bat we have the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, but there’s been no official report of any negotiations. Then there is also the question of the Atlanta Hawks who are understood to be interested, however, such a move would require Ayton to take a cut in pay which is not something he’s likely to sign up At that point we have the possibility of sign-and-trade deals, but who’s to say how such a scenario would end. Interestingly, it’s been reported that the Suns are in fact prepared to match a max offer should Ayton receive one in restricted free agency. That of course leaves the question, ‘Will Deandre Ayton end up staying where he’s indicated he doesn’t want to?’