Suns reportedly planned to match any Deandre Ayton offer sheet
Jul 14, 2022, 7:30 PM | Updated: 8:47 pm
Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns runs onto the court before the start of Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at Footprint Center on April 26, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns committed to Deandre Ayton by instantly matching the Indiana Pacers’ max offer sheet just three minutes after they received it, per Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
Gambadoro also reported that “there was never a chance the Suns were not going to match the offer sheet” and that Ayton is a part of the Suns’ core moving forward.
The Suns reportedly were seeking a potential sign-and-trade for Ayton but the Pacers’ inquiry of sending center Myles Turner in return for Ayton did not enthrall the Suns. The Pacers did not offer anything other than just Turner, according to Gambadoro.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania added to Gambadoro saying that with the four year, $133 million contract, Phoenix “now goes approximately $15M into the tax” and “made clear throughout free agency” that the team wanted to bring Ayton back to build a title contender with Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
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ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that the contract is fully guaranteed with no player option or trade kicker.
The news came after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Ayton, a restricted free agent, had signed a max offer sheet that extends four years and is worth $133 million with the Pacers.
Ayton finished last season averaging 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in the regular season, shooting a career-high 64.3%.
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