Suns GM James Jones: 'We're Excited to Keep Deandre at Home'
On Monday evening, the Phoenix Suns officially announced the signing of center Deandre Ayton to a multi-year deal.
“Deandre is a force on both ends of the floor, who has elevated his game every year and will continue to do so,” said General Manager James Jones in a press release from the team. “DA is so important to what we do and without him we could not have reached our recent levels of success. We are excited to keep Deandre at home in the Valley where he belongs."
In 2018, the Suns made Ayton their very first No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and he has steadily helped build Phoenix into a team that has reached heights with an appearance in the NBA Finals and setting a regular season record (64) for franchise wins.
“I’m happy to put free agency behind me and ready to work and compete for a championship with my teammates,” said Ayton in a statement.
According to the Suns' official release, "Through his first four NBA seasons Ayton holds career averages of 16.3 points on 59.9% shooting from the field plus 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 236 games with the Suns.
"His 59.9% field goal percentage is the highest by a player averaging a double-double through four seasons in NBA history, and he joins Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to average a double-double on at least 57% shooting through four career seasons.
"Ayton has appeared in 35 postseason games with the Suns over the last two seasons, averaging 16.6 points on 65.1% from the field and 10.7 rebounds in those games, the only player ever to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds on over 60% shooting through his first 35 career postseason games."
The Suns recently matched a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers to keep him on the roster.
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