Report: Should The Detroit Pistons Still Sign DeAndre Ayton After Trading For Jalen Duren?
The NBA Draft was loaded with surprises, including the Detroit Pistons acquiring Jalen Duren in a three-team trade. In most mock drafts, Duren was projected to be picked between the 9-13 picks, with the San Antonio Spurs being the most favourable team to select him. However, the Pistons unexpectedly swooped in for an opportunity that only cost a 2025 Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick for potentially their franchise center for years to come.
The Detroit Pistons easily won the 2022 NBA draft as they selected Jaden Ivey with the fifth pick and traded for the draft rights of Jalen Duren. The future in Detroit looks incredibly bright with their new young trio of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. However, before the 2022 NBA draft commenced, the Pistons were involved in rumours of acquiring DeAndre Ayton, who enters this year’s free agency as a restricted free agent.
Ayton, the former first-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, was displeased about not receiving a max contract extension this past season when other players in his class, like Luka Doncic and Trae Young, did. This became a small drama in the Sun’s organization. Still, it never conflicted with their regular season as the Suns broke their record for most wins in their franchise history. It was expected that the Suns would sign Ayton to a wealthy contract, but after his performance in this year’s NBA playoffs, both the Suns and Ayton are indifferent about their future relationship.
According to an article written by Jack Maloney of “CBS Sports”, he referenced that James Edwards lll of “The Athletic” revealed that the Pistons are expected to pursue Ayton. However, this was reported before the Pistons traded for the rights of Jalen Duren, which changes the whole narrative of the Pistons acquiring Ayton, or does it?
Throughout this past season, it has been established that Ayton wants a max contract and nothing less. While the Suns are rightfully hesitant in matching Ayton’s demands, the Pistons are in a position to take risks and potentially give Ayton a max contract. According to a tweet written by Evan Sidery of “The Stein Line,” it was revealed that Ayton would ‘embrace’ forming a duo with Cunningham in Detroit. Similar to Maloney’s article, this was announced before the draft commenced. Ayton would most likely now embrace a trio of himself, Cunningham, and Ivey instead of a duo.
Detroit should still be interested in Ayton regardless of drafting Duren. While Ayton struggled in the playoffs this season, he should not receive all of the blame as the entire Phoenix Suns roster struggled. If one domino falls, the rest follows, which is what happened in the playoffs when Chris Paul lost his dominance. When he turned 37 years old, Paul looked like a completely different player and struggled to score above 10 points in some games. While Ayton does deserve some blame, he was far from the main reason the Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.
This year’s playoffs proved that Ayton is not happy being a part of the Sun’s organization ever since they didn’t offer him a max-contract extension. According to a report by Arian Wojnarowski, Ayton didn’t feel valued by the organization. His production was so awful that in game seven against the Mavericks, Ayton was benched for most of the game as he only played 17 minutes. Head coach Monty Williams mentioned that his decision to bench Ayton was for “internal” reasons.
The relationship between Ayton and the Suns is likely over, given all the drama that occurred this season. Ayton has shown flashes of All-Star potential, but he won’t reach that status in Phoenix. While his trade value has depleted after the playoffs, the teams' interest is still strong in the NBA, with the Pistons leading the charge as the potential favourites of signing him this off-season. Ayton in Detroit would solidify a playoff spot in the 2022-23 season, given the experience that Ayton has had in the playoffs these last two seasons. He could help recreate a winning environment in Detroit while also having the freedom of showcasing his full potential. The Pistons are far from competing for a championship. They have the flexibility of bringing in new players and developing them. While Ayton is a solid center in the NBA, he is also a project, given that he hasn’t lived up to being the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. By Ayton signing in Detroit, it gives him a chance to have a fresh start with a team that would value him.
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