Once the moratorium on the NBA’s free agency was lifted, people thought an offer sheet for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton could soon follow. While it took more than a week, that offer sheet has finally come.
Ayton agreed to an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers that is a four-year deal worth $133 million. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft landed the max contract that he was seeking, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian told ESPN.
Now the ball is in Phoenix’s court. As a restricted free agent, they will now have 48 hours to decide if they want to match the offer sheet. The clock will start at midnight, giving them until 11:59 PM on Saturday to decide if they will do so.
This is the largest offer sheet that has ever been signed by a restricted free agent in NBA history, surpassing the four-year, $107 million deal that Otto Porter Jr. signed with the Brooklyn Nets back in 2017. That deal was ultimately matched by Porter’s team, the Washington Wizards.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Indiana Pacers ‘Very Close’ To Giving Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton Offer Sheet
Can we expect to see the same thing in this scenario? Going back to the 2021 offseason, Phoenix’s ownership was adamant that Ayton was not worth a max contract and they would not sign him to such a deal. Now that they are staring down the barrel of losing their starting center for no compensation, will their tune change?
The Suns will try and work out a sign-and-trade before the clock starts at midnight. However, once pen is put to paper on a deal, a sign-and-trade deal is no longer allowed and Phoenix will have to decide whether or not they want to match the deal.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Indiana Pacers ‘Very Close’ To Giving Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton Offer Sheet
Ayton’s representation was sure they could find a max offer on the open market and they did just that. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Suns are expected to match the deal, which is really all they can do. Losing Ayton for nothing would be a major detriment to the franchise.
If he lands in Indiana, he would be joining a revamped, young core that includes Tyrese Haliburton, Benedict Mathurin, Jalen Smith, Chris Duarte, Oshae Brissett and Isaiah Jackson.
