Phoenix Suns linked to Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis in NBA trade speculation

Before he signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James was linked to the Phoenix Suns in some NBA trade speculation.

Now Phoenix is linked to one of James' teammates in trade chatter.

Heavy.com's Sean Deveney reported earlier this week that a Western Conference executive could see the Lakers trading Anthony Davis to the Suns for a package including Deandre Ayton and Cam Johnson.

“Phoenix would be an interesting fit too, once Ayton can be traded,” the executive said, according to Deveney. “They could do Cam Johnson and Ayton, something like that. I am sure some in L.A. would expect a big return for Davis but with the injuries the last few years, it would be tough to trade him. There’s a lot of reasons why they’d keep him but that is one – you’re not going to get fair value because of the injuries.”

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A possible trade between the Suns and Lakers involving Ayton would have some hang ups, however.

Since Phoenix matched the Indiana Pacers' offer sheet for Ayton, the center can't be traded until Jan. 15.

He can also veto any trade during the first year of his new contract.

Would the Suns want to deal Ayton and Johnson, part of their young core for Davis, who has had a history of injuries?

And would Phoenix and Los Angeles, division rivals, really want to do a deal?

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NBA writers speculated about a potential Lakers and Suns deal after Deveney's report.

Heavy.com's Austin Boyd couldn't see a trade between the Suns and Lakers happening.

"The Lakers worked hard to get Davis on the team and worked out great at first," he wrote. "He was excellent in his first year in Los Angeles and helped lead the team to a championship. He won’t have the same longevity as LeBron but he can still be an elite player for several more years. There’s no reason to trade Davis right now. They wouldn’t get fair value with him and he still forms an elite duo with LeBron. Now, this season is very important. If he has another injury-plagued year, the team might have to reevaluate his status but they’ll give him a year under Darvin Ham to turn things around."

Fansided's Peter O'Keefe wrote that a trade between the Lakers and Suns would be a lose-lose situation.

"He’s also incredibly unlikely to be traded anytime soon, with constant injury troubles reducing the value of the former number one overall pick," O'Keefe wrote. "That means the Lakers simply won’t get anywhere near the value of what they believe internally, and of what general NBA fans believe when he’s up and going. It’s these same injury issues though that would cause Phoenix, or any other team for that matter, to be hesitant in trading for the 29-year-old. If you were guaranteed 65+ regular season games and a full playoff run, then yes you would make a deal of this nature. Even then, Ayton is still young and has individual growth to make, whereas we’ve likely seen the best of Davis already. The latter has also shown a clear preference to play as a power-forward rather than a center, so throwing him in as a direct replacement for Ayton is fraught with danger. The only way this happens is if circumstances change on each side. Maybe if the Lakers continue to struggle and eventually blow it up into rebuild mode, which probably won’t happen for 2-3 years if it were to. Plus, from Phoenix’s perspective, the relationship between Ayton and the Suns would need to sour to the point of becoming untenable."

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Sports Illustrated's Donnie Druin wrote that the deal didn't really make sense.

"The only way this makes sense for Phoenix is if they're trying to push all their chips to the middle of the table for this season," he wrote. "Davis, on a team with Paul and Booker, would instantly improve the odds of a NBA Finals appearance at minimum. Even then, for a team that's accomplished so much in the last two years, they feel as if they can make do with what's already in the kitchen. … Would Suns fans do this trade? Most will say: Absolutely not. Phoenix has done a nice job compiling their talent and to trade two of their most valuable (and youthful) assets for Davis (who turns 30 next March) doesn't sit well with most Suns fans. One would think the actual organization agrees. This trade is unlikely to materialize, but if one anonymous exec believes it could be a possibility, we've seen crazier things happen in this league."

What do you think about the trade speculation involving Anthony Davis and the Suns?

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns trade Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton?