Deandre Ayton, the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, has finally got a max contract from the Phoenix Suns. However, he had to take some extra steps to get there.
After the Suns refused to make Ayton a max offer earlier this year, the 23-year-old hit the restricted free agency and found it elsewhere. The Indiana Pacers presented him with the four-year, $133 million offer sheet earlier this week, and Ayton gladly signed.
This put Phoenix at the risk of losing Ayton for nothing, and the franchise quickly used its right to match the Pacers’ offer and keep the Arizona product around for four more years.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski points out, the Suns now have to wait until January if they want to trade Ayton. Also, the player can veto any trade in the next year. This most likely rules the Suns out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, as it is hard to see Phoenix putting together a compelling offer for the Brooklyn Nets’ superstar without Ayton involved.
Deandre Ayton has played well for the Suns for the past four years, averaging 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during that stretch. Ayton was also one of the key contributors to the team’s NBA Finals appearance in 2021, having 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game during that playoff run.
While this didn’t convince the Suns that Ayton is worthy of a max offer, it isn’t hard to see why they didn’t think twice about matching the Pacers’ offer. While the franchise might think $133 million is an overpay, they are still better off with him on the roster, especially considering they would have scarce resources to replace him if he had left.
