Now, after the Suns’ playoff success, the public opinion of Deandre Ayton has shifted. He was one of the primary reasons that the Clippers were unable to utilize their small ball lineup (which was how they beat the Jazz) as often against the Suns. After that, Deandre Ayton was critical in beating the Clippers, converting the game-winning dunk in Game 2 and averaging 17.8 points along with 13.7 rebounds. In the next series, Ayton held his own against MVP center Nikola Jokic as the Suns swept the Nuggets. He shot almost 80% from the field and averaged a double-double. The Suns beat the defending champion Lakers in the first game, and Ayton’s play got attention. Then, the playoffs began and the Suns started their unexpected run. Because Ayton was drafted two picks before one of the best players in the NBA, he was often made out to be a disappointment for not living up to expectations. Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton and the Suns failed to make the playoffs in both 20, even though they ended the 2020 bubble with an impressive run. The very next season, Doncic made his first All-Star game, his first All-NBA team, and his first playoff appearance. Doncic went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2019. However, just two picks later, the Dallas Mavericks picked Luka Doncic 3rd overall. Welcome to the wonderful world that is restricted free agency.Īyton will be getting paid, but it remains to be seen if the bag will be coming from the Suns or not.On draft night in 2018, the Phoenix Suns picked Deandre Ayton with first overall, making the former Arizona Wildcats center their new franchise cornerstone in addition to Devin Booker. However, Ayton and his camp will be hard-pressed to find a better basketball situation than the one going on down in The Valley. Ayton and Duffy should still try to get the best offer sheet out there and hope the Suns will match it. However, he is at-best the third most important player in this core of the Suns behind veteran point guard Chris Paul and up-and-coming superstar shooting guard Devin Booker.Ĭould Ayton return to the Suns on a new deal? Absolutely, but it would have to be on their terms. Ayton has been vastly improved in his two most recent seasons in Phoenix. There are other excellent players from this particular draft, but Doncic and Young are the shining stars up to this point of their NBA careers. Duffy’s other client Luka Doncic went two picks later to the Atlanta Hawks, who traded his draft rights to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young, who went No. 1 overall pick, opting to take the native Bahamian who played part of his high school ball in The Valley, as well as down the road at U of A in Tucson. Phoenix could have had anyone in the 2018 NBA Draft. Here is the entire clip of Duffy speaking with SiriusXM last week when he was up in Chicago.ĭeandre Ayton’s agent, Bill Duffy, hinting at them not preparing to accept anything less than a max contract this offseason: /rqKS5MBl0wĭeandre Ayton’s agent expressed disappointment in Phoenix Suns contract saga He’s a restricted free agent, so we’ll see how this process unfolds.” There’s other teams in the league as well. A lot of guys handle things differently, but he was very mature about it … Things will work out for Deandre. “He went out and was a solider the whole year, played well, improved his statistics. We wanted a max contract,” said Duffy on SiriusXM. Though Phoenix has the opportunity to match any offer sheet he garners in his restricted free agency, Ayton’s agent Bill Duffy expressed how disappointed they are with the Suns right now. 1 overall pick out of Arizona could be playing for a new team next year. There is a chance Deandre Ayton has played his final game in a Phoenix Suns uniform.īecause the Suns did not extend the five-year, rookie-scale max extension to Ayton before last season, the former No. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton enters this NBA offseason as a restricted free agent.
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