Deandre Ayton – Phoenix Suns
Restricted Free Agent – 2021-22 Salary: $12.6 million
We talked about the 12th pick in the 2018 draft and the 8th pick, so now it is only fitting that we talk about the 1st overall pick from the 2018 draft class in Deandre Ayton.
Perhaps the most intriguing restricted free agent on the market this upcoming offseason is Deandre Ayton, who was far apart from a rookie-extension deal with the Suns ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Ayton has quickly turned himself into a Top-10 center in the NBA and was a key part of the Suns’ journey to the NBA Finals last season, but the Suns were unwilling to give their young center a max contract extension like he had wanted.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Deandre Ayton was expecting a five-year, $170 million deal from Phoenix after he helped them make the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993, but the franchises did “not think he was worth that much.”
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Suns’ owner Robert Sarver was heavily involved in these negotiation talks ahead of the season and he is the main reason why Deandre Ayton does not have a new deal yet.
The Suns would be foolish to let Deandre Ayton walk in free agency, but many around the league believe that general manager James Jones will come to an agreement with the Suns owner to give Ayton a fair deal in free agency.
While he has missed time this season, Ayton is once again proving to be a force at the center position and was in the running to potentially make his first All-Star Game before getting injured. In 41 games this season, Deandre Ayton has averaged 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and has shot 64.2% from the floor.
Amongst all centers in the NBA, Ayton ranks 13th in both scoring and rebounding, as well as ranking 4th in points in the paint this season.
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Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Mikal Bridges have proven to be key weapons for the Suns, but without Deandre Ayton, they would not be a championship-contending team. Should Phoenix not pay the young big man in the offseason, plenty of other teams around the league will line up to try and sign Ayton to a max contract.
