As it turns out, Deandre Ayton isn’t going anywhere.
The Suns matched the four-year, $133 million maximum offer sheet that Ayton had originally signed with the Pacers Thursday afternoon, as first reported by Shams Charania. Phoenix is now prohibited from trading Ayton without the center’s consent for a full year.
Ayton, who turns 24 next week, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season, starting 58 games at center.
Ayton’s relationship with the Suns appeared to have soured over the course of last season. In October, the two parties could not agree to terms on a contract extension, setting the stage for Ayton to become a restricted free agent this summer.
In the playoffs, discontent boiled to the surface. Ayton was benched for the second half of Phoenix’s Game 7 loss to the Mavericks, with coach Monty Williams citing “internal reasons.” The pair were seen engaging in a verbal spat on the sidelines and had to be separated.
The Pacers were seen as the most spirited contenders for Ayton, and that came to fruition when they extended Ayton the largest offer sheet in NBA history. But the door was left ajar for a return, with Phoenix having 48 hours to match Indiana’s offer sheet.
Evidently, they did so rather swiftly.