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The Phoenix Suns have been through a lot over the past couple of seasons.
In hindsight, moving on from Chris Paul may have doomed them from the very beginning, as no team can win without a point guard.
More than that, there were several rumors around the locker room about Monty Williams and his relationship — or lack thereof — with Deandre Ayton.
It had become painfully evident that the two didn’t get along, and Ayton was constantly tangled up in trade rumors.
Eventually, the team fired Coach Williams and re-signed Ayton to a lucrative contract, just to trade him afterward as well.
Now, a report by Evan Sidery of Forbes confirmed what most people assumed, which is that Coach Williams actually pushed the front office to get rid of Ayton instead of re-signing him.
Monty Williams pushed for the Suns to trade Deandre Ayton for Myles Turner when the Pacers offered a max contract in restricted free agency, per @Gambo987 (https://t.co/yVkoNb3LiK).
GM James Jones was adamant about not trading Ayton for Turner.
After the next season, Williams… pic.twitter.com/r7HBH9gCvU
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 21, 2024
As a restricted free agent, the Indiana Pacers gave him an offer, and Williams thought they should’ve made the most of that opportunity to trade for Myles Turner.
GM James Jones was adamant to do so at the time, but the Bradley Beal trade eventually forced his hand to move the former No. 1 pick to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Ayton is a very talented big man, but he seemed mentally checked out.
He was a non-factor — or a liability — in every postseason run but the one they made it to the NBA Finals, and he clearly wasn’t on the same page with his coach.
Now, neither he nor Williams are on the team, and the Suns still have more questions than answers all over the roster.
The post Monty Williams Reportedly Pushed Suns To Trade Key Veteran While With Team appeared first on The Cold Wire.