On Thursday, the Phoenix Suns had 48 hours to match Deandre Ayton’s offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers. In a mere three minutes, they did just that. Phoenix became fully prepared for this scenario the moment they opted not to offer a maximum extension to Ayton.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns watched as Ayton’s draft classmates Luka Doncic and Trae Young became the heartbeat of their respective teams. While the 23-year-old certainly had his moments, Ayton never offered the consistency that the formers possess. This reportedly played a major role in the Sun’s decision-making.
Still, Ayton felt as though his services were worth nothing short of the max much like Doncic and Young. He became a vital piece to the Suns’ trip to the 2021 NBA Finals, averaging 14.7 points and 12 rebounds per game that series. He also showed his defensive prowess as an efficient rim protector.
Veteran guard Chris Paul even lauded the young center’s potential, once going so far to state that the Suns were “gonna get him [Ayton] a bag this summer.” While Doncic and Young went on to get those bags, Ayton was left out of the mix even after a Finals trip.
Last season was Ayton’s audition year for a max deal. He posted his second-best season average in points (17.2) while hovering around his average number of boards (10.2). This all came in 58 games, less than ideal for a max player.
Even so, as talks swirled of Phoenix trying to use Ayton as trade bait for Kevin Durant or other deals, the Suns waisted no time in matching the former No.1 pick’s offer from Indiana.
Was this the Sun’s plan all along?
Since news of the Suns matching Ayton’s offer, spectators around the league can’t help but notice how Phoenix actually saved money in the deal.
Did the #Suns get pushed around by letting the #Pacers offer sheet Deandre Ayton, or was this the plan all along?
Phoenix was able to offer Ayton a max 5 years, $179.3M, or 4 years, $138.5M.
The matched contract comes in at 4 years, $132.9M
— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 15, 2022
It’s no secret to the masses now that while the Pacers may have not always been the intended victim, this was always the plan. The Suns chose to play chess rather than checkers. Shedding a potential year on a max deal while cutting back in salary may prove to be useful later.
The Suns could’ve always looked into a sign-and-trade deal as reported, but what Indiana could offer didn’t seem to match up for Ayton.
Yet even after securing Ayton back into the fold of their contending core, many questions remained unanswered—and Phoenix may not even have that equation solved yet.
One headline that still remains to play itself out: Where does this leave Phoenix in the Durant sweepstakes? There’s been conflicting reports of Ayton being a key part of such a deal. Now, it appears as though he may have not been a part of a trade all along, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Suns are still in need of possibly adding some additional pieces to their group if Durant’s out of play. At the current, “The Valley” club sits over $16.2 million into the luxury tax following the Ayton deal.
What moves Phoenix makes next are unfamiliar at the moment, but if keeping Ayton was a part of the plan all along, job well done.
