Deandre Ayton Teases Bounce-Back Season With Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns look drastically different than they did six months ago, and they may not be done making changes.

In February, they traded two very good complementary players in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, plus a treasure chest of draft picks, to the Brooklyn Nets for aging superstar Kevin Durant.

Just a few weeks ago, they shipped off Chris Paul and several more draft picks for guard Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star.

More recently, Phoenix sent Cameron Payne, one of their few remaining viable non-stars, to the San Antonio Spurs for a 2024 second-round pick.

The moves have made them an extremely top-heavy team, and some have felt they will try to trade center Deandre Ayton in order to recoup some of the depth they have lost.

But Ayton sounds determined to “change the narrative” that he feels is surrounding him by having a strong 2023-24 season, via Eyewitness News Bahamas.

SPORTS: “I can feel the whole world hating me,” Deandre Ayton.

Phoenix Suns Center Deandre Ayton opens up about last season and says he aims to “change the narrative” when he returns to the court in October. pic.twitter.com/2vMbE1tc5E

— Eyewitness News Bahamas (@ewnewsbahamas) July 19, 2023

Ayton has been a good center for the Suns over the last few years, and this past season he averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a game.

However, he has never been an All-Star, and he had a weak showing in the Western Conference semifinals against Nikola Jokic when the Suns lost to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in six games.

Prior to that series loss, plenty of people had pegged Phoenix as the favorite to win the West because of Durant’s arrival.

This coming season’s Suns will be yet another superteam experiment, and the second one Durant has participated in over the last few years.

There is a strong feeling that superteams simply do not work, but new Suns owner Mat Ishbia seems determined to prove otherwise.

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