
Center Deandre Ayton has signed a maximum offer sheet with a new team. The Indiana Pacers have signed Ayton to a four-year $133 million deal. This is the largest offer sheet in the history of the NBA. The Phoenix Suns now have 48 hours to match, as Ayton is a restricted free agent.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news via Twitter on Thursday.
Ayton was the first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, with whom he has remained for his entire career. He made the NBA All-NBA Rookie First Team in his first season. He, Chris Paul and Devin Booker led the Suns to the NBA Finals in the 2021-2022 season, but fell to the Milwaukee Bucks.
As stated earlier, the Suns have 48 hours to match this offer sheet, otherwise he will go to the Pacers. If they do match, he remains in Phoenix. It has been rumored throughout the offseason that the Suns want to get rid of Ayton, but it still may benefit them to engage in a sign-and-trade. In 2021, Ayton played in 58 games. He averaged 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. This meant he secured a double-double average for all four seasons of his career.
Stay tuned for more breaking NBA content, including preseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
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