Remember that chaotic afternoon in late September 2023? The NBA world was basically holding its breath for a Damian Lillard move to Miami, but then the Milwaukee Bucks swooped in and changed everything. While everyone was busy staring at Dame in a Bucks jersey, a massive secondary earthquake was happening between Phoenix and Portland. The deandre ayton jusuf nurkic trade wasn't just some salary-matching filler; it was a fundamental shift for two franchises heading in completely opposite directions.
Honestly, the trade was a gamble for both sides. Phoenix wanted to get rid of a former number-one pick they no longer trusted. Portland wanted a young big man to pair with their new core of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. But as we look back at it from 2026, the "who won" conversation has gotten way more complicated than we thought.
The Trade Details Nobody Remembers Right
People usually talk about this like it was a one-for-one swap, but it was actually a sprawling three-team deal involving 10 players and multiple picks. Basically, the Phoenix Suns shipped out Deandre Ayton and rookie Toumani Camara to the Trail Blazers. In return, they landed Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson from Portland, plus Grayson Allen from the Bucks.
Here is the thing: Grayson Allen turned out to be the secret sauce.
While the headline was the center swap, Allen ended up being a high-level starter for the Suns, leading the league in three-point percentage for a huge chunk of time. On the other hand, Keon Johnson and Nassir Little didn't really stick. Little was eventually waived and ended up playing in Japan by 2025. It’s funny how the "filler" players often dictate the actual value of these blockbusters more than the stars do.
Why the Suns Actually Dumped Ayton
You've probably heard the rumors about the locker room vibes. It wasn't just a "sorta" bad relationship; it was arguably broken. After the Suns matched Ayton's offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers in 2022, the writing was on the wall. He and former coach Monty Williams famously didn't speak for months. Even when Frank Vogel took over, the trust just wasn't there.
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Phoenix felt they could get 80% of Ayton’s production from Jusuf Nurkic at about 50% of the cost.
Nurkic is a much better passer. He’s a "connector." The Suns’ front office, led by Mat Ishbia and James Jones, wanted a center who would set hard screens and move the ball to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant without complaining about not getting enough post-up touches. Ayton wanted to be "DominAyton," but the Suns just needed a guy to do the dirty work.
The Blazers' Side: Was Ayton a Bust?
In Portland, Deandre Ayton was supposed to be the "Big Burly" presence for a rebuilding team. He actually put up some monster numbers in stretches. There was a period in early 2024 where he was averaging nearly 20 and 12 on elite efficiency. But the effort remained inconsistent.
By the summer of 2025, the Blazers actually ended up buying out Ayton.
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That was a shocker for a lot of fans. You don't usually see a guy with his physical tools just get let go, but Portland decided to pivot. They found a gem in Toumani Camara—the "other" guy in the trade—who turned into an All-Defensive Second Team wing. If you ask a Blazers fan today who the most important part of that trade was, they’ll probably say Camara or the draft picks they got from Milwaukee, not Ayton.
The Stats: Nurkic vs. Ayton
If you look at the raw box score, Ayton usually wins. He’s more athletic, has a better mid-range jumper, and doesn't struggle with foul trouble as much as Nurk. But let's look at the impact metrics from that 2024-2025 window.
- Jusuf Nurkic: Ranked in the 98th percentile in rim contests and 88th percentile in passer rating for centers.
- Deandre Ayton: Better individual scoring ($16.7$ PPG vs Nurkic’s $10.4$ PPG), but his teams often performed better when he was off the floor.
Nurkic shot about 35% from deep during his best stretches in Phoenix, which was something Ayton almost never did. That floor spacing allowed Durant and Booker to operate in the midrange without a seven-footer clogging the lane.
Financial Flexibility and the "Second Apron"
We can't talk about the deandre ayton jusuf nurkic trade without mentioning the CBA. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement is a nightmare for expensive teams. By moving Ayton’s $32$ million salary, the Suns broke it down into smaller, more tradable "middleweight" contracts.
Even though Nurkic was eventually moved to Charlotte in early 2025, having his $18$ million contract made it easier for Phoenix to maneuver than being stuck with Ayton’s max deal. It was a business move as much as a basketball move.
What We Learned from the Fallout
- Don't ignore the "throw-ins." Toumani Camara and Grayson Allen were the real winners of this trade in terms of career trajectory.
- Fit beats talent. Ayton is objectively "better" at basketball than Nurkic in a vacuum, but he wasn't better for the Suns' specific roster.
- The Center market is brutal. Unless you're Jokic or Embiid, being a high-priced center who doesn't protect the rim at an elite level makes you a trade liability.
Looking at where the Suns are now in 2026—post-Durant era and rebuilding with Jalen Green—the Ayton trade looks like the first domino that fell in an attempt to save a championship window that was already closing. It didn't bring a title to Phoenix, and it didn't make Portland a playoff team overnight, but it definitely showed how much teams value "buy-in" over raw potential.
If you're tracking how these players are doing now, keep an eye on the injury reports and the shooting splits. Nurkic's availability has always been his Achilles' heel (sometimes literally), while Ayton's journey through the Lakers and now as a free agent proves that the "No. 1 Pick" label follows you forever—for better or worse.
Check the latest salary cap tables for 2026 to see how the Suns are finally clearing the dead money from the Nassir Little stretch-and-waive. It’s a reminder that every blockbuster trade has a long, expensive tail.
Actionable Insight: When evaluating NBA trades, always look at the "connector" stats (screen assists and pass-to-assist ratios) rather than just points per game. This trade proved that a center who facilitates can be more valuable than a center who scores, provided you have superstars on the wing.