RUMOR: Suns' two expected cuts after Deandre Ayton, Jusuf Nurkic swap

The Phoenix Suns on Wednesday traded former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Suns got back Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, wings Nassir Little and Keon Johnson and Bucks guard Grayson Allen in the trade.

With 17 players on their roster, the Suns have to make two cuts. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer, those players are expected to be Johnson and forward Ish Wainwright.

Wainwright has played with the team since the 2021-22 season and been a fan favorite for his strength and effort. Wainwright has been proud to be in Phoenix and has been seen at WNBA Phoenix Mercury games.

Johnson is a former five-star prospect and was picked No. 21 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. He seemed to emerge at the end of the 2022-23 season but his statistics dipped to 4.7 points on 37.6 percent shooting in 40 games for the Trail Blazers this past season.

The Suns’ roster is expected to be deep behind their All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Phoenix acquired Allen, who started 70 of 72 games for the Bucks last season and shot just under 40 percent from 3-point range. He is known as a pest defensively and should be a player that fits well in coach Frank Vogel’s scheme.

The Suns’ bench will include former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon, former Brooklyn Nets wing Yuta Watanabe and likely one of wing Josh Okogie and former San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop, among others. Bates-Diop and Okogie are perceived to be top candidates for the team’s fifth starting spot aside Booker, Durant, Beal and Nurkic.

 

 

The post RUMOR: Suns’ two expected cuts after Deandre Ayton, Jusuf Nurkic swap appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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