Deandre Ayton and the Indiana Pacers look like they had a deal in place as the young big man signed a four-year $133 million offer sheet on Thursday. The Phoenix Suns had the opportunity to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history by 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday and they decided to match that within the first few minutes of Ayton taking the deal with Indiana.
Deandre Ayton cannot be traded until January 15th and he has veto power for any trade without his consent for a year. This means that Phoenix will be in an interesting position when it’s time to move him.
Phoenix Matches Indianas Offer Sheet For Ayton
Although the Phoenix Suns did make it quite clear throughout the offseason that they didn’t have plans on bringing Deandre Ayton back, it makes sense from their perspective why they decided to match the offer sheet. Phoenix is in a position to win an NBA title and they can’t let a 23-year-old that has this type of potential walk away with no return.
Many thought that Phoenix could get Myles Turner back from the Pacers, but both sides weren’t able to come away with a deal.
Deandre Ayton got PAID PAID. He stays with the Suns. @wojespn has the latest! pic.twitter.com/vmjLi1oFXE
— Max McGee (@MaxMcGeeTV) July 15, 2022
Phoenix Had A Disappointing Off-Season
For a Phoenix Suns team that had the best record in the NBA season ago, before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, this offseason can certainly be looked at as a disappointment. They didn’t go out and make any big moves and the rumors that they might be getting Kevin Durant are likely going to be shut down now with this deal. Because DeAndre Ayton cannot be traded until January 15th, Phoenix now puts himself in a very tough position to go out and get Durant.
It’s interesting why didn’t go out and make the moves that they needed to make for them to continue being one of the best in the NBA, but it’s certainly not a great decision from their front office. Phoenix might have had the worst offseason out of any contending team and that’s a major issue when they have a small championship window with Chris Paul likely retiring in the next few seasons.
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