28 and 13: Why Damian Lillard should have 'interest in playing' with Suns' Deandre Ayton

Damian Lillard saw the best of Deandre Ayton the last time those two were on the court together.

Ayton posted a monster double-double of 28 points and 13 boards in Phoenix’s 111-107 overtime win Dec. 14 in Portland.

Playing a career-high 45 minutes, Ayton shot 12-of-17 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line as the Suns won without All-Star Devin Booker, who was out with a left hamstring strain.

Ayton had missed the previous two games with a non-COVID illness, but he came back big time in his return.

So it’s not shocking Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said on the "Dunc’d on Basketball NBA Podcast'' with Nate Duncan that Lillard, a six-time All-Star, "has interest in" playing with Ayton.

“He wants to max, he doesn’t want to come down from that,” Fischer said. “So, (if) that’s the case, if one team offers him the max, which I think seems pretty possible. Detroit gets mentioned a lot. Like Portland, it seems like he’s another guy that Dame has interest in playing with.”

With Ayton being a restricted free agent, the Suns can match any offer from another team with the max being four years, $131 million and they can pay him more than anyone else at five years, $177 million.

The Suns could also do a sign-and-trade to get some assets in return for their starting center, who is averaging a double-double of 16.3 points on 59.9% shooting and 10.5 rebounds over the course of his four NBA seasons.

MORE:

5 things Suns should consider if they do a sign-and-trade with Ayton

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“Toronto gets mentioned, San Antonio has been mentioned,” Fischer continued. “If someone jus decides to say, screw it, let’s give him the max, I think there’s a really good chance that they’re going to get him. Phoenix could always come back at the 11th hour and do it and say, at a worst-case scenario, it’s an asset play, but I do think he’s the biggest name that I really do think has a chance to be playing in a different uniform.”

The Suns didn’t offer Ayton, the top overall pick in the 2018 draft, a rookie max extension going into the 2021-22 season that would’ve been five years, $172 million.

The talented 6-11 big averaged 17.2 points on a career-best 63.4% shooting and 10.2 rebounds in helping the Suns win a franchise-record 64 games this season and earn a top overall seed in the 2022 playoffs, but he scored only five points in a Game 7 loss to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.

On top of that, Ayton had an exchange with Suns head coach Monty Williams when Williams took him out that Game 7 just three minutes and 32 seconds into the second half.

Williams didn’t put Ayton back in the game as the Suns were down 38 points at the time.

When asked why Ayton only played 17 minutes, Williams said, “it’s internal.”

Suns General Manager James Jones chalked it up as an emotional moment.

“It’s one of those things where you’re playing an emotional game and at an emotional point,” Jones said during his media exit interview via Zoom. “It’s a game of emotions and feelings and sometimes your feelings get hurt and you process it, and you move on, but we’re adults. We’re teammates. We’re grown men. Those things you handle and you move on and improve from.”

Fischer’s comments about Ayton came when asked which players will “generate the most activity, the most discussion” during free agency.

He first brought up Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson and Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine as both are unrestricted free agents, but then turned his attention to Ayton.

“I think the biggest name that can move is Deandre Ayton,” Fischer said.

The Athletic lists LaVine fourth in its “Tier I: The Max All-Stars” behind Kyrie Irving (Nets), James Harden (76ers) and Bradley Beal (Wizards) and starts its “Tier II: The Not-Quite-Max Guys” with Ayton.

Miles Bridges (Hornets), a restricted free agent, and Brunson round out that group.

Fischer made a point to say Phoenix adding Bismack Biyombo during the season sent a message throughout the league that the Suns believe 12-time All-Star Chris Paul can make it happen with any big man.

The Suns signed Biyombo to a 10-day on New Year’s Day as Ayton, backup center JaVale McGee and starting power forward Jae Crowder were in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Playing in his first game of the season, Biyombo posted 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in 18 minutes of Phoenix’s 133-99 blasting of the Hornets.

Paul had a game-high 16 assists in the road victory.

Biyombo later signed with Phoenix for the remainder of the season Jan. 11.

“There were starting to be some word around the league like, oh, the Suns are just saying that they think CP3 is just so good that they can bring Bismack Biyombo off the street,” Fischer said. “Why do they have to pay Deandre Ayton? JaVale has worked out for them, and they went on a big win streak.”

The Suns went 17-3 in games Ayton missed in the regular season with a right ankle sprain (7-0), right lower leg contusion (6-0), in health and safety protocols (3-2) and with a non-COVID illness (1-1).

Phoenix’s franchise-record 18-game win streak was during the six games Ayton sat with the leg injury.

“Seems like a little bit of cockiness coming out, not to me, but it sounded like in conversations with other teams, that was kind of the tone,” Fischer continued.

When looking back at Ayton’s 28 and 13 performance, Blazers first-year coach Chauncey Billups noted after the game how Paul impacted those numbers.

“Chris is a surgeon,” said Billups as Paul finished the game with 24 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds. “He’s like the Peyton Manning of the NBA. He figures things out. He knows how to manipulate a game. Obviously, he played really well, orchestrating the big fella. Ayton played really well. He was efficient, too, but Chris, he’s known to do that, to manipulate defenses and he did that to us.”

So, imagine Lillard, who isn’t the facilitator Paul is, but is a better scorer, pairing up with Ayton?

Based on what Fischer said, Lillard has done that a time or two, after Portland finished 27-55 to mark its worst season since going 21-61 in 2005-06.

Phoenix has won its last three games against the Blazers. Ayton averaged 18 points on 68.6% shooting and eight rebounds in his three games versus Portland this season.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why Damian Lillard should have 'interest in playing' with Suns' Ayton