Phoenix Suns Match Offer Sheet for Deandre Ayton
According to the The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Phoenix Suns have matched the offer sheet Deandre Ayton received from the Indiana Pacers.
The contract (four-year, $133 million) is the largest offer sheet in NBA history.
The move now ensures the Suns will keep Ayton until January 15, which is the next time he'll be able to be involved in a trade.
As part of the offer sheet, Ayton can't be dealt to Indiana for one season and will also have rights to veto a trade during the first season.
Last season, Phoenix was not able to reach a contract extension with Ayton and his camp. Reports suggested the number of years the two sides desired in a deal didn’t match.
The Suns even shopped him at the trade deadline to the Pacers and recently engaged in sign-and-trade talks with Indiana that ultimately led nowhere.
Now, the Suns ensure Ayton will, at bare minimum, not walk away for free. He was Phoenix's No. 1 pick and has steadily improved in each season he's played.
Suns general manager James Jones offered this to say earlier in the offseason:
"They deserve the accolades and the financial rewards that come with being good players and productive players. It doesn’t preclude us from doing anything. We’re not talking about a luxury tax issues or avoiding those things. That’s not something that’s going to prevent us from continuing to build this team and keep this team together.”
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says the team matched the offer sheet as soon as they received it. Ayton's deal now reportedly puts Phoenix about $15 million over the luxury tax.
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