The Phoenix Suns just watched their former number one pick join a division rival

The Suns drafted him first, and now they’ll face him in purple and gold.

The Phoenix Suns have had a grand total of one #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in their 58-year history. In 2028, they selected Deandre Ayton from the University of Arizona. Now, 7 years later, he will be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, entering his 8th season in the NBA and playing for his third team.

After being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers this past Monday, Ayton has signed with Los Angeles, where he joins LeBron James and fellow 2018 draft alum Luke Doncic.

A team that needs a center now has the center. End of story? No. Not for us.

Regardless of how you view it, the story here runs deeper for Suns fans. This was our guy. DOMINAYTON was supposed to be the Shaq to Devin Booker’s Kobe.

I wanted Deandre Ayton to be great. Truly, I did. The raw tools were tantalizing. The size. The touch. The frame that could anchor a franchise. When we took him No. 1 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, over Luka Doncic, over Trae Young, over just about anyone with a pulse and a jumper, we believed he was the perfect complement to Devin Booker. He was homegrown. He went to Arizona. He had the smile, the ceiling, and the center spot locked down.

He was supposed to be our Chosen One.

But like Anakin Skywalker, the promise slowly eroded. The Force was strong, but the follow-through was fragile. The cracks started to show. Not in his stats, but in his motor. In his effort. In his basketball IQ. In his mental toughness and his ability, or lack thereof.

We saw the flashes. The 2021 playoff run was a glimpse of the best version of DA: aggressive, decisive, dominant. But those moments faded. And too often, so did he. Missed rotations. Fumbled rebounds. Games where he looked disengaged, even disinterested. Not every night. But enough to create a pattern. Enough for a team with championship aspirations to say, “We need more.”

So he was shipped to Portland in the Damian Lillard three-team trade, a deal that felt less like a blockbuster and more like a clearance sale. Ayton, the former No. 1 pick, was essentially moved for Jusuf Nurkic and spare parts. A bag of chips, some would say.

Then Portland waived him after two seasons. Why? As Jason Quick of The Athletic wrote:

“…in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort.”

Twenty-five million dollars to go away.

And now? Now he’s wearing purple and gold. Back in the division. Back in our lives. And you can bet your ass he’ll show up when he faces the Suns. He’ll dunk with vengeance. He’ll scream with swagger. And the DA Stans who never left, those who still blame Monty, or Book, or CP3, will be loud again. Ayton won’t just be trying to prove himself to L.A. He’ll be trying to prove Phoenix was wrong.

I wish him well. I really do. I don’t root for failure, not even in a Lakers jersey. Okay…I kinda do. But this one’s going to sting, especially if he figures it out in Hollywood.

Deandre Ayton was supposed to be the Chosen One. Instead, he’s become a cautionary tale. And maybe the villain in our next chapter.

---

Listen to the latest episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast below. To stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podbean, or Castbox.

Please subscribe, rate, and review.