Deandre Ayton has started to express his true feelings toward the Phoenix Suns organization. Things have not been great between both parties for a while now which is a bit concerning. The Suns lost two straight games against the Denver Nuggets to begin the series. In the mix of it, they would lose their starting point guard to an injury.
Chris Paul started the series against Denver fairly healthy. In Game 1, he had 11 points and 5 assists which didn’t do too much for the Suns as they lost against Denver. The following game, Paul exited with a limp and was later ruled out. Coming into Game 3, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton had to anchor the team. Following the game, Ayton ignored CP3 twice as he was approached for a handshake. Fans noticed the odd situation and called him out.
He fell off hard
— BTF34 🦌😔 (@giannisinchains) May 6, 2023
Watch DeAndre Ayton ignore Chris Paul twice in this clip
The Phoenix Suns get the W, but the vibes here are horrendous pic.twitter.com/UCzfQfTtEt
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) May 6, 2023
I will never understand why PHX ran it back with Ayton and alienated Crowder.
— Kevin Standart 〽️ (@kstand40) May 6, 2023
This is a long time coming for ayton. Chris got him a bag and he acts like he owes no one anything
— tjgrrr (@tjgrrr) May 6, 2023
He’s a waste of height, man. Only FOUR points????
— Scott B (@KlownTimes_1906) May 6, 2023
One fan said, “He fell off hard,” while another exclaimed, “The Phoenix Suns get the W, but the vibes here are horrendous.” In all due fairness, the “vibes” ought to be horrendous as Booker and Durant were the only two players to score in double figures.
Ayton only scored 4 points and grabbed 9 rebounds which is a complete one-eighty from what he would normally put up. It is apparent that tension is building up within the team. However, they somehow managed to pull through and get the series to 1-2.
Will Deandre Ayton leave the Phoenix Suns?
Indeed, Chris Paul hasn’t been too much of a helpful hand for them this postseason. But this is only adding to the tensions that have been rising between the Suns’ organization and Deandre Ayton. Two years ago, Phoenix did not give the former No.1 overall pick a rookie extension which did not sit right with him. He seemed ready to leave them but chose to stay and work it out.
During the 2021-22 campaign, he averaged great numbers with 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game which was his second-best season yet at that point. When the Suns did not give him his extension it seemed as if they believed he wasn’t worthy of it. However, with his impressive stats last season, they offered him a four-year $133 million contract which he signed before entering into the 2022-23 Season.
This year, Deandre Ayton averaged far better than last season putting up 18 points and 10 rebounds. He had a couple of impressive 30-point games and took over the Suns’ offense during Booker’s absence. Things have not been great lately as the Suns aren’t looking too dominant. Even though Ayton has played well and is a valuable defensive piece, if the Suns fail to go all the way through, he could potentially force his way out next season.
