Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Deandre Ayton is staying with Phoenix Suns as he got offered a maximum contract offer sheet with Indiana Pacers
Just moments after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Ayton signed the four-year $133 million maximum offer sheet with the Pacers. However, Phoenix didn’t waste much time in matching the offer as per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Ayton will be getting a maximum deal after both sides failed to reach an agreement. The Suns’ superstar averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season.
Now the interesting thing is since the Suns have matched the offer sheet they can’t trade Ayton anywhere until Jan 15 and can’t even trade him to Indiana for a year. Ayton will also have veto power on any trade for a year.
The biggest offer sheet signed by a team that wasn’t matched was when Harrison Barns was signed by the Dallas Mavericks for four years and $94.4 million in 2016, it is the same summer when the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant as a free agent.
Pacers would now have to clear out $4.7 million in cap space to sign Ayton to the max offer sheet. To do that Indiana is waiving Duane Washington and stretching the three players who arrived in the Boston trade for Brogdon. They are Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan and Nik Staukas as per ESPN.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reveals how Suns matching Deandre Auton’s offer sheet will be affecting the team’s other deals and it has closed some major windows.
This is what he told the NBA on the ESPN YouTube channel that the Suns were interested in pursuing Kevin Durant however now with them going all the way for Ayeton closes all the windows.
“It just closes some windows that the Suns were interested in pursuing to get Kevin Durant.”
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