Phoenix Suns C Deandre Ayton Labeled as Overhyped Free Agent
It happens every offseason.
The NBA free-agency pool is filled with players searching for a paycheck, and surely find themselves a couple suitors who believe their talents will translate to winning more games.
In a world where the salary cap continues to increase and money seems to be printed by the NBA, copious amounts of cash continue to be handed out.
Whether players deserve contracts will be evaluated by a case-by-case basis, yet Bleacher Report recently revealed their list of five NBA players who will be overhyped/overpaid during the free-agency period.
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton found himself as one of those five players, along with James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal and Anfernee Simons.
Ayton has received a lot of negative attention, although most Suns fans will say it's warranted. From his apparent love for video games that have kept him up to the wee hours of the morning to his lack of production (and minutes) down the stretch of the playoffs, Ayton isn't exactly the most popular man in Phoenix at the moment.
Here's what Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes offered on Ayton:
"It's never great for a player's earning potential when he gets yanked from an elimination game after 17 minutes—particularly when said player's team said 'thanks, but no thanks' to a preseason extension.
"Such is life for Deandre Ayton, who enters restricted free agency with the theoretical option to get a five-year, $177 million rookie-scale extension from the Phoenix Suns. Practically speaking, he's got no chance. He's still going to be overpaid.
"How? Well, Ayton should have at least three suitors—the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs—with the ability to sign him to an offer sheet worth up to $131.1 million over four years. The Orlando Magic have the cap space as well, but they inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a much more manageable four-year, $50 million extension back in October. Seat's taken, basically.
"The Suns' match rights may discourage big offers that would tie up other teams' space, but it still feels like they'll have to come close to what other clubs can offer to appease Ayton—particularly after failing to meet his demands prior to the season. Phoenix would be taking a real risk by lowballing him.
"The notion of the 2018 top overall pick accepting a qualifying offer ($16.4 million in this case) to enter unrestricted free agency in 2023 is almost too ridiculous to consider. Almost. Twice denied what he views as an appropriate extension in this hypothetical, and still stewing over his Game 7 removal, Ayton could make a pretty credible threat to take the QO.
"Ayton is young (23), has proved in the past he can make a difference on the biggest playoff stage and could easily improve on his 2021-22 averages of 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds. But he's not a superstar center worthy of the max (whether we're talking four or five years). The only 5s currently in that group are Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert. No one in that quintet is the fourth-best player on his team like Ayton.
"The Suns could look into a sign-and-trade if the risk of losing Ayton for nothing next year starts to seem real. But the likelier course involves paying him upward of $30 million per season on a multiyear deal, which is simply out of step with his production."
Ayton's future as a restricted free agent gives little clarity to where he may end up in 2022, although it's clear wherever he goes, he will be valued as overpaid.
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