Deandre Ayton is one of the best centers in the game today. He’s a two-way force that is capable of scoring on the interior on the offensive end, while also protecting the rim on the defensive end. Ayton has had a productive season, averaging 17.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG for the Suns, and shooting 63.4% from the field.
This summer, Deandre Ayton was a restricted free agent. Recently, he signed a max contract offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers. The Phoenix Suns will have 48 hours to match the Pacers’ offer sheet.
Phoenix Suns restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton is signing a four-year, $133 million maximum contract offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian told ESPN on Thursday.
The Suns have two days to match the largest in NBA history and keep Ayton — or let him go to the Pacers for nothing in return.
Ayton’s offer sheet surpasses the four-year, $107 million deal signed by Otto Porter Jr. with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 — a deal the Washington Wizards ultimately matched.
A recent report from ESPN suggested that the Phoenix Suns are in fact interested in matching the Indiana Pacers’ max contract offer sheet for Deandre Ayton. That is a solid move for the franchise, as it would be bad business to let a top-tier center go away for nothing.
So far, Suns haven't shown an interest in negotiating a sign-and-trade on Ayton with the Pacers, but the expectation remains that Phoenix will match the record-$133M offer sheet once it's signed, sources tell ESPN. Suns could trade Ayton as soon as Jan. 15 once sheet is matched.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2022
So far, Suns haven’t shown an interest in negotiating a sign-and-trade on Ayton with the Pacers, but the expectation remains that Phoenix will match the record-$133M offer sheet once it’s signed, sources tell ESPN. Suns could trade Ayton as soon as Jan. 15 once sheet is matched.
It remains to be seen how Deandre Ayton signing this offer sheet will affect the Phoenix Suns’ pursuit of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns were notably one of his preferred destinations.
We will see how well the Phoenix Suns do next season. Most of their core will be committed long-term if they match Ayton’s max contract offer, and they could be a force in the Western Conference for a while if they keep the team together.
