Damian Lillard ‘likes’ the idea of playing with Deandre Ayton

On Sunday night, the Phoenix Suns were eliminated from playoff contention in embarrassing fashion by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs were up by as much as 46 points.

Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton combined to score just 26 points. Doncic recorded 27 in the first half alone (and finished the game with 35).

Phoenix was the best team in the regular season by a landslide, but this big of a loss will surely lead to an interesting offseason. More specifically, it could cause Ayton to think about other options.

Ayton will be a restricted free agent this summer, as the Suns failed to extend him last offseason. And based on one NBA superstar’s recent Twitter activity, recruiting season has already begun.

Damian Lillard ‘likes’ the idea of playing with Deandre Ayton

After the Suns’ loss, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was very active on Twitter. And according to his “liked tweets” section, he’d like to team up with Ayton. (H/T Bleacher Report)

This past season, the Blazers gutted their roster, trading away CJ McCollum and other important pieces. And with the hiring of Joe Cronin as the full-time GM, they are committed to building around Lillard.

Thanks to their moves, Portland will have a decent amount of cap space this summer. According to Spotrac, they’ll have roughly $21.1 million, and that number could increase if they make some trades.

The 23-year-old center could command a max contract this offseason, but if the Blazers believe he would be able to help Lillard compete, then they’d spend the money.

If that’s the case, it would allow the Blazers to let long-time center Jusuf Nurkic walk. He’ll be a free agent this summer, but they would likely just let him go if Portland gets Ayton.

The best part about signing Ayton would be that Portland could help their superstar point guard win now while also preparing for life after Lillard.

Ayton and young guard Anfernee Simons would make a nasty duo, so if and when the Blazers decide to move on from Lillard, they’d already have an amazing succession plan in place.

Whether or not Ayton returns to the Suns is yet to be seen, but Phoenix’s loss will make it an interesting conversation. If he does leave, teaming up with one of the NBA’s 75-greatest players ever has to be an enticing option.