Deandre Ayton Staying In Phoenix Could Backfire On Pending Trade Deal

Deandre Ayton was ready to leave, but the Phoenix Suns simply didn’t want to see him go.

The Suns retained the agile center when it matched the four-year, $133 million offer sheet that Ayton signed with the Indiana Pacers.

Ayton was a restricted free agent after failing to ink an extension with the Suns last summer.

Turning 24 years old on July 23, Ayton had a double-double average last season when he normed 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a game.

Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated broke down the effects of Ayton’s decision to stay with the Suns.

For the pundit, Ayton is a perfect fit with Chris Paul and Devin Booker, and keeping the trio together is a no-brainer as it will make the team contend for the tough Western Conference.

The Suns had a disappointing finish last season when they got blown out on their own home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Luka Duncic-led Dallas Mavericks.

Nadkarni believes that Ayton will continue to grow as a player as he enters his prime, particularly as he plays in more high-stakes postseason games.

“The financial commitment is a good sign as well. With Ayton back, as presently constructed the Suns will be paying the luxury tax for the first time since 2009, a sign that ownership is willing to foot the bill necessary to win a title,” he said.

Nadkarni surmised that keeping Ayton would be beneficial for the Suns, but it may have totally nixed their chances of acquiring Kevin Durant, who has requested a trade from the Nets.

“Even if the Nets were reportedly cool on Ayton as a player—whether that’s real or draft-pick posturing—a sign-and-trade involving him made a lot of sense in Durant hypotheticals. Because the Suns matched an offer sheet for Ayton, he can’t be traded until Jan. 15 at the earliest, and he can veto any trade in the first year of his deal," he stated.

"That means he can’t be dealt this summer, and if he gets shipped to some third team in your favorite Durant fake trade, Ayton can nix that with a wave of a finger."

The journalist also pointed out that Phoenix’s decision to keep Ayton left the Pacers figuring out what to do about their frontcourt.

Myles Turner has been the subject of trade rumors for years, but the Pacers failed to get him moved.

Turner is entering the final year of a deal worth $17.5 million.

For Nadkarni, the Pacers would eventually ship Turner for a pittance similar to what they did to Malcolm Brogdon.

“The team will probably offer some kind of support for Turner publicly at some point in the wake of the Ayton dalliance. Still, it’s hard to imagine Turner is not somehow even more available than he was before this summer,” Nadkarni ended.