The Phoenix Suns are still holding out on making a max-contract extension offer to their talented center Deandre Ayton, and that’s not sitting well with him.
Ayton recently discussed his extension talks with Suns in a chat with Arizona Sports and said that he is “disappointed” with the way they are unfolding at the moment.
“I love Phoenix, but I’m really disappointed that we haven’t really gotten a deal done yet,” Ayton said. “We were two wins from a championship, and I just really want to be respected, to be honest. Be respected like my peers are being respected by their teams.”
The respect that Ayton is looking for is the max-extension that the rest of the 2018’s draft class, including Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), received. This would be a five-year, $173 million deal that tops at $207 million if escalators are met.
The reason why the Suns might not want to give Ayton the max might do with the fact that he has yet to make an All-Star team or be considered an elite center in the league. But there is no doubt that the Arizona product made big improvements to his game and could only get better in the years to come. This was especially obvious during the team’s run to the NBA Finals when he averaged a double-double (15.8 points, 11.8 boards) throughout the postseason while also holding his own on the defensive end of the floor.
Phoenix and Ayton have until October 18th to work out a deal. If they don’t get the job done by then, Ayton will become a restricted free agent next offseason. While the Suns can match any offer he receives and keep him with the franchise, they have to ask themselves if that is the approach they want to take with one of their best players.
