One of the more significant free agent dominoes fell Thursday when the Suns retained Deandre Ayton, matching the four-year, $133 million offer the center signed with the Pacers.
Ayton, who turns 24 on July 23, was a restricted free agent after not signing an extension with Phoenix last summer. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Suns last season, helping the team finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA. Ayton’s signing should make some significant waves around the league, as he has often been mentioned as a possible trade chip in the Kevin Durant trade while the Pacers are still looking for an upgrade at center.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what signing Ayton means for the Suns, Nets and Pacers.
Phoenix Is Running it Back … for Now
Even after an embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Mavericks, the Suns return most of a roster that won 64 games in 2021-22. Phoenix’s starting five should be the same for the third straight season with Ayton at the helm, while key bench contributors like Cameron Payne and Cam Johnson remain. On the face of it, keeping the core of the franchise’s best team together is simple. As ugly as Phoenix’s loss in Game 7 was, there is enough evidence to believe this group can compete for a title in a loaded West. This may interest you : High school sports; See Greater Lansing Player of the Year winners. On the court, Ayton matches up perfectly with Chris Paul and Devin Booker. He is versatile on both ends of the floor and is improving as both a versatile forward and defensive player. And he should continue to grow as a player as he enters his prime, especially as he plays in more high-stakes postseason games.
Financial commitment is also a good sign. By bringing Ayton back as currently constructed, the Suns will be paying the luxury tax for the first time since 2009, and the owner of the sign is willing to foot the bill needed to win a title.
Off the court, Phoenix’s extended song and dance with Ayton was awkward at best. By not extending him last season, the Suns essentially avoided Ayton’s five-year contract worth even more annually, forcing him to find an outside offer. Was it worth any impact on team chemistry? Ayton barely played in the second half of that Game 7 loss to Dallas, and Monty Williams sternly called it an “internal” issue after the game. While Phoenix was pretty quick to match Ayton’s offer, it hasn’t exactly made him feel wanted for the past year. It’s an unusual tactic to use a former first pick who has become a key cog in a title contender, especially if he has room to grow. Relations seemed to sour in Phoenix by the end of the season. Aligning everyone’s motivation ahead of the title chase will be as important to this team’s success as what happens between two baskets.
Bottom Line: The Suns will have a really high floor as long as Ayton, Booker and Paul play together. But don’t be shocked if Ayton’s name comes up in rumors at some point during the life of this contract.
Kevin Durant’s Options Are Dwindling
It just got a lot harder for Durant to join the Suns. On the same subject : Heilferty drafted to the US U-23 women’s squad.
Speaking of trades, a Kevin Durant-Phoenix deal is much less likely after the Ayton signing. Even if the Nets were supposedly cool with Ayton as a player — whether for real or an optional stance — a sign-and-trade involving him made a lot of sense in Durant’s hypotheticals. Because the Suns matched the offer for Ayton, he cannot be traded until Jan. 15 at the earliest and can veto any trade in the first year of his contract. That means he can’t be dealt this summer, and if he gets shipped off to some third team in your favorite Durant fake trade, Ayton can fix it with the snap of a finger. (I like to believe the trades are officially rejected Dikembe Mutombo style.)
It’s not impossible for the Suns to trade for Durant right now, but it becomes much more difficult without being able to include Ayton. If the signing takes Phoenix out of the running for Durant, KD now has one less team on their list of destinations that they can feasibly acquire. Maybe that helps a team like the Heat. Or maybe root for a small-market team like the Grizzlies. Or maybe he convinces the Nets to bring back Durant, which may have ramifications for Kyrie Irving, which may affect what the Lakers do this summer. I seriously thought it was a big domino!
With a major team taking a step back in the Durant sweepstakes, the Nets may have a little more leverage in trying to bring Durant back for a second season or to generate stronger offers from teams not on KD’s wish list. The Durant situation will likely continue to drag on for the foreseeable future, but his chances of landing with the Suns appear to be seriously hurt.
Uh, so Myles Turner?
The Pacers don’t seem to see Turner as their long-term solution at center. Read also : FIFA to use new high-tech for offside calls during World Cup.
The Pacers pulled Ayton to the fireside chat despite already being linked to center Myles Turner, and now the team must once again figure out what to do with its frontcourt.
Turner has been the subject of trade rumors for years, but still remains unmoved. Last season, Indiana seemed to make a kind of half-hearted commitment to Turner by trading Domantas Sabonis. Turner seemed excited about the prospect of a bigger role on the team, so he likely isn’t thrilled about the front office trying to trade him.
Turner is entering the final year of his $17.5 million contract and would be surprised if he ends this season with Indy. The Pacers ended up moving Malcolm Brogdon for some cash and I could see them eventually doing the same for Turner to at least get something in return. It’s clear that Indy doesn’t see Turner as its long-term solution at center, and he could now enter training camp as a backup option at the position. The team will likely publicly offer some kind of endorsement to Turner at some point after the Ayton game. Still, it’s hard to imagine that Turner isn’t somehow even more attainable than he was before this summer.
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