Contract talks between Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton end without agreement, sources say

The Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton have been negotiating a 5-year, $150 million contract extension that would make the center potentially one of the richest players in league history. However, sources say talks broke down after disagreements arose over how much money to split between player/team options early on in his career.

The “deandre ayton” is an NBA player who has been in contract talks with the Phoenix Suns. The talks ended without agreement, sources say.

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• Wojnarowski, Adrian

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  NBA Insider Senior

  • The Woj Pod’s host
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• Windhorst, Brian

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  Senior Writer for ESPN

  • Since 2010, I’ve been an NBA columnist for ESPN.com.
  • For seven years, I covered the Cleveland Cavaliers.
  • Author of two works of fiction

Sources tell ESPN that talks on a rookie contract extension for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton ended with no agreement ahead of a Monday deadline, with the organization never matching the 2018 No. 1 overall pick’s anticipation of a five-year maximum deal offer.

Ayton, who was a key part of the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in 2021, insisted on a full, five-year, max contract — worth a guaranteed $172.5 million plus possible escalators — but sources told ESPN that talks never progressed to the Suns making a formal offer on a max deal before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline.

Phoenix floated the possibility of a shorter maximum contract agreement in recent weeks, potentially over three or four years instead of the full five, but never officially made the offer or discussed the subject again, according to sources.

With Ayton, Phoenix now confronts an unclear future. According to insiders, the franchise center is dissatisfied with the team’s constant attitude to his representation that the management just didn’t perceive him as a max player, despite the fact that several of his classmates in the 2018 NBA Draft class received max contracts this summer.

Ayton can sign an offer sheet somewhere next summer and still have the Suns’ matching rights, albeit it might be a four-year contract with an early termination clause after three years, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. Ayton could potentially accept a qualifying offer to finish the 2022-2023 season before becoming an unrestricted free agency in 2023, putting the Suns at danger of losing a franchise cornerstone player for nothing.

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Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. all signed max agreements after being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft. On Sunday, the Suns agreed to a four-year, $90 million deal with 2018 draft teammate Mikal Bridges, and on Monday, they agreed to a four-year, $43 million extension with guard Landry Shamet, according to ESPN sources.

Many league officials anticipated Ayton’s max contract to be completed quickly this offseason, and his potential arrival on the restricted free agency market might have an influence on how teams manage salary budget space next summer. Throughout the discussions, the Suns’ position was that they didn’t feel Ayton was a max player, a value evaluation that has been received with astonishment elsewhere in the league.

A big part of Ayton’s growth and maturity has come from his connection and trust with coach Monty Williams over the course of their two seasons together, and that will be put to the test if he goes into the season thinking he’ll be heading to restricted free agency. Under Williams’ tutelage, Ayton evolved into the two-way force the Suns envisioned when they selected him first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

During the 2020-2021 NBA season, Ayton averaged 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and a block per game. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ayton has the greatest postseason field goal percentage (66%) in NBA history and shot 50 percent in 17 consecutive playoff games, following only Shaquille O’Neal (2006) for the longest streak in league history. As the key defender in the Finals, Ayton kept NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to 53 percent shooting. Against the rest of the team, Antetokounmpo shot 70%.

Last season, Ayton and Paul were one of the most effective duos in the NBA, with Paul helping on 143 Ayton baskets, second only to Golden State’s Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

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