Deandre Ayton Addresses Free Agency Process, Extension With Suns

Former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton officially inked a four-year, $133 million extension to return to the Suns on Monday, calling the new deal a “blessing” that can have a “generational impact” on him and his family.  

“This is a blessing,” Ayton told Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape in a phone interview after signing his contract. “This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. That is the things that we go by...

“I’ve come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. I just treated everything like a business. Just keep being professional, approach everything with professionalism and not looking too deep into it.”

Signing on the dotted line ended a rollercoaster few weeks for Ayton, who was officially eligible to land a five-year, $179.6 million deal on July 1. The Suns did not offer that amount and bided their time until the Pacers offered the 23-year-old center a four-year, $133 million max offer sheet on July 12, which he quickly signed. 

The Suns had until the end of the day on July 14 to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history, but ended up matching the contract as soon as they received it.

“We wanted Deandre here,” Suns general manager James Jones told Andscape. “He’s vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. And throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours, that wasn’t something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.

“I’m one to just be direct. And if you’re convicted, if you know what you want to do, you do it. But if there’s any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly.”

Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, averaged a double-double for the fourth straight season during the 2021–22 campaign and helped power Phoenix to 64 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Since coming into the league, the Bahamas native has averaged 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds, proving to be a centerpiece on a Suns team that made the 2021 NBA Finals. 

Despite last season’s success in the regular season, Phoenix stumbled early in the playoffs, falling to Dallas in seven games in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The series culminated in a crushing, blowout loss at home in Game 7, during which Ayton was benched for most of the second half after getting into a spat with head coach Monty Williams.

However, Ayton and the rest of the Suns are ready to move on from last year’s low point and are well-positioned to do so. Following the center’s extension, Phoenix’s core of Ayton, All-Stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker, and All-Defensive first-team selection Mikal Bridges is locked down through at least the 2024–25 season.

“I’m happy. The process is over,” Ayton said, per Spears. “I put all this behind me and focus on chasing a championship this upcoming season with my brothers.”

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