Deandre Ayton is among the top centers in the NBA. He averaged 17.2 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game, playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2021–2022 season. He has proven himself when given a higher usage rate, and there is no question that he is capable of having an impact on a game from both ends of the floor.
Clever Move of the Phoenix Suns
Recently, the Phoenix Suns matched the Indiana Pacers’ maximum contract offer for Deandre Ayton. Undoubtedly it is a smart move from the Suns otherwise, Ayton would have been free to leave for nothing and sign with the Pacers.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Ayton received an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers before the Phoenix Suns extended him a max contract.
He said “Namakian of Innovate Sports and Duffy of BDA Sports and WME had insisted to the Suns that they could find a maximum contract offer for Ayton in the marketplace, and they are now delivering it with the offer sheet. The Suns had never made Ayton a max offer, suggesting they didn’t value him as a max player. If they don’t match the sheet, the Suns will lose the 2018 No. 1 pick without compensation.”
Deandre Ayton should not have had to wait this long to sign his maximum contract. However, his stats are not quite at that level of a max-player, but he still has potential and might one day reach that level. He is unquestionably the kind of player to take a chance on.
The Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Finals in 2021, and Deandre Ayton played a significant role in that achievement. Now, it will be worth watching him perform to that level in the upcoming season.
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