The Pheonix Suns and DeAndre Ayton have concluded their contract talks and it ends without a deal. Ayton expected to receive a max contract and owner Robert Sarver has refused to offer it, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Getting a deal done seemed far-fetched as Ayton tried to accomplish a first- sign a rookie max extension on the last day allowed. Interestingly enough, the Suns’ reluctance to offer Ayton a deal comes a day after the team inked 2018 draft classmate Mikal Bridges to a four-year extension worth $90 million, which is fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It has been known that the Suns and their star center appeared to be at a crossroads when it came to an extension.
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick had no intention of accepting a deal less than the comparable max contracts signed by several of his 2018 NBA draft classmates, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That group included Atlanta‘s Trae Young, Dallas‘ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Denver‘s Michael Porter Jr.
Ayton was reportedly eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension, with escalators that could reach up to $207 million.
Many would argue the deal is fair as the 23-year-old big man set career highs in 2019-20 with 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks per contest, but injuries limited him to a mere 38 games. Following the Suns’ acquisition of Chris Paul last offseason, Ayton saw his offensive production dip this past season to 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. However, it’s worth noting he stayed healthy playing in 71 games while shooting a career-high 62.6 percent from the field.
In his first postseason run, Ayton averaged 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game for a Phoenix squad that took a dominant 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals prior to falling to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in six games.
Many executives leaguewide expected a deal would’ve been hammered out in short order this offseason for Ayton, given his complementary role to the backcourt of Paul and Devin Booker but instead the big man walks away empty-handed.
The belief from Ayton is that his performance and potential speaks for itself, and the marketplace should dictate that he does belong up there. The 7-footer may have the chance to prove that as he is set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
