Suns send Deandre Ayton to Blazers as part of Damian Lillard trade

PHOENIX - After months of speculation, NBA superstar Damian Lillard was finally traded on Wednesday and Phoenix Suns' center Deandre Ayton was sent to a Western Conference rival as part of the deal.

Ayton is part of a massive three-team deal that sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns traded Ayton, the former number-one overall draft pick, to the Blazers along with rookie forward Toumani Camara. 

The Bucks are sending Jrue Holiday and draft picks to the Blazers in exchange for Lillard. The Suns are acquiring Jusuf Nurkic, Keon Johnson and Nassir Little from Portland, and Grayson Allen from Milwaukee.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 07: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns during Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals at Footprint Center on May 07, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Nuggets 129-124. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

"From the first overall pick to the Valley-Oop, thank you for all you brought to the Valley, DA," the Suns tweeted after the trade was made official.

The trade was finalized Wednesday night after NBA attorneys, as is always the case with trades, reviewed the terms and approved the deal.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.