Restricted free agent this summer, the 23-year-old pivot accepted the Pacers’ offer of €133m over four years. The Suns would nevertheless be willing to keep him.
A golden bridge for Deandre Ayton. If the Suns have so far refused to offer him a max contract, the Pacers have done so. The Indiana club has indeed offered $ 133 million over four seasons to the 23-year-old pivot, restricted free agent. Offer accepted by former Arizona NCAA player according to information fromESPN , our colleagues citing the agents of the person concerned, Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian. Phoenix franchise executives have 48 hours to line up…or not. Otherwise, Ayton could slip away, without any consideration, to Indianapolis.
Contrary to what one might have thought, the Suns are considering, still according to ESPN, to “match” this record contract for a restricted free agent. Record set in 2017, when Washington matched Brooklyn’s $107 million for Otto Porter Jr.
Untransferable until January?
Note that the hypothesis of a sign-and-trade, widely discussed in recent days, is no longer possible from the moment Ayton accepts the Pacers’ offer. However, the two clubs can still negotiate an exchange between them. And in the event that the 2018 Draft No. 1 remains in Phoenix, the Suns won’t have a chance to trade him until Jan. 15 at the earliest. Last but not least, Ayton would have a trade veto for the entire coming season. Deandre Ayton has established himself as one of the (very) good NBA pivots in four years under the colors of Phoenix. He finished the past season with 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds (58 games).
