The Phoenix Suns shocked the basketball world when it was announced that a rookie contract extension wasn’t agreed to with Deandre Ayton. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft would now be a restricted free agent come the 2022 offseason as the two sides could not agree on a deal.
It seemed like it would be a foregone conclusion that Ayton would re-up with the Suns. He is a key cog in their foundation and played great basketball en route to the NBA Finals in the 2021 postseason. Alas, ownership had other ideas.
Robert Sarver and company do not believe that Ayton is worth a max contract. Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. all signed max deals.
The extensions the 2018 draft class signed surpassed $1 billion total, but Ayton was left out of the mix because of the hardline stance the Suns took.
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It is anyone’s guess how Ayton would have to perform to be deemed worthy of a max extension by Suns’ ownership. He has pretty much picked up right where he left off from the postseason, posting solid numbers thus far this season.
He is scoring 16 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds and 1.5 assists and one steal in 30.1 minutes per game. Ayton is the anchor of the defense as well.
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It would be shocking if Ayton isn’t with the Suns’ long-term, especially since the team is coming off of an NBA Finals appearance and dominating thus far in the regular season. But, if it comes down to it, the Suns may have to trade Ayton if they do not feel he’s worth a max.
Here are three teams that are best positioned to land Deandre Ayton via trade.
