NBA Rumors: One Team Dropping Out Of Ayton Sweepstakes

The rumors have been hot and heavy around several teams who have Phoenix Suns' restricted free agent Deandre Ayton on their radar. Now, according to a new report, one of those teams has likely dropped out of the bidding.

"Portland does not appear to be a legitimate landing spot for restricted free agent Deandre Ayton," sources told Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. This is due to the fact that they are now expected to retain their own free agent center, Jusuf Nurkic. 

Ayton still has plenty of suitors, including, at the head of the list, the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs, according to Fischer’s intel. 

Nurkic is coming off a 4-year, $48M pact with the Blazers. he had another solid season for them in 2021-22, averaging 15 points while pulling down a career-high 11.1 rebounds. He missed the last 22 games of the seasons with a bout of plantar fasciitis.

Photo Credit:  Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports