Deandre Ayton, Suns fail to come to terms on new contract
As the 2021-22 NBA season approaches, the Phoenix Suns attended to some critical roster decisions. Much of which focused around center Deandre Ayton and his future with the franchise. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the team and Deandre Ayton couldn’t come to an agreement to a new deal before the deadline.
Discussions on a rookie contract extension for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton ended ahead of a Monday deadline with no agreement, perishing without the franchise ever honoring the 2018 No. 1 overall pick’s expectation of a five-year maximum contract offer, sources told ESPN.
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Ayton wanted to secure a five-year, $172.5 million max deal that would have included possible contract escalators. However, the discussions never pushed toward any serious talks.
The former first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft played a pivotal part in pushing the Suns to the 2021 Finals. Ayton excelled on both ends of the floor, becoming a strong factor in the paint offensively.
However, the lack of a new deal puts his long-term future in Phoenix into question. He’s in the final year of his four-year $40.3 million rookie deal. This also includes a $16.4 million qualifying offer for the 2022-23 season.
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The Suns could return to the table to negotiate a new contract with the emerging star center. Phoenix is taking a risk as it could see 23-year-old’s play exceed the contract he could have inked this offseason.
It wasn’t an entirely unfruitful process on Monday as the Suns signed Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $90 million extension and Landry Shamet to a four-year, $43 million extension.
