New Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick, but he didn’t exactly play like one with the Phoenix Suns.
While Ayton had a successful five-year run with the Suns that included an NBA Finals appearance in 2021, Phoenix felt he was expendable and dealt him in the three-team trade for Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson and Grayson Allen.
Bleacher Report’s Adam Fromal identified Ayton as one of the three Blazers with the most to prove this upcoming season.
It’s not exactly a well-kept secret that Phoenix Suns fans were displeased with Deandre Ayton’s development—or lack thereof.