Deandre Ayton made a huge leap throughout the 2020-21 season and played a key role for the Phoenix Suns in their run to the NBA Finals. Despite this, the Suns are reportedly thinking twice about giving their 2018 no. 1 overall pick a maximum rookie contract extension worth five years, $172.5 million and could go up to $207 million, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This development has stalled negotiations between the two camps on a new deal. Ayton reportedly intends to get every penny of that designated max extension, similar to the contracts that some of his fellow draft classmates received this summer.
Ayton has shown flashes of brilliance and his growth, especially this past season, suggests big things are still coming for him down the line. Given this, extending the 23-year old stud and keeping him there for the long haul seems like a no-brainer move for Phoenix. However, the Suns likely don't see the rush in locking up the deal right now and will probably let Ayton's fourth season play out before committing a huge amount of money to him. With that said, Phoenix is doing the right thing in not yet offering Deandre Ayton the max. Here are two reasons why:
1. Ayton needs to prove further he is worth the max deal
Based on the figures, Ayton's max deal assures him an annual salary between $34.5 million to $41.4 million until the 2026-27 season. That is an insane amount of money to give anyone over the next five years. As much growth as he's shown this past season and as good as he was throughout the 2021 NBA playoffs, Ayton still needs to prove that he is worth that kind of investment.
Ayton averaged a solid 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in the regular year. While those numbers are down compared to his sophomore campaign, the former Arizona standout actually made massive strides in his third NBA season. Ayton established himself as the Suns' defensive anchor throughout the year, erasing the narrative of being a weakness on defense, which was one of the main knocks on him early in his career. He also served as an efficient inside presence for Phoenix offensively and became a double-double threat for them on a nightly basis.
In the postseason, Ayton put up better and more efficient production with 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds, while shooting over 70 percent from the field. While those numbers are impressive, his scoring should definitely go up to at least 20 PPG if he's going to be worth $30 to $40 million a year.
Sure, Ayton wasn't the main feature in Phoenix's offense. He averaged just 10 field goal attempts in the regular season and in the playoffs. Perhaps the reason why he didn't get too many touches is because of his limited offensive game. Ayton has yet to become that player which the Suns can go down to in the post to get them a bucket. Likewise, while he can make the occasional perimeter shot (either from mid-range or beyond the arc), he just hasn't done so consistently enough in order to be a real threat from that far out on the floor. A more refined post-game and more range in his shot should give Ayton the necessary tools to improve his scoring.
Making that jump to becoming at least a 20-10 threat, with a deeper offensive bag, while making more strides as a defender should make Ayton truly deserving of the max.
2. Phoenix can match any deal for Ayton next summer
As mentioned, the Suns are probably in no hurry in locking up Ayton for the future. Should both sides go past October 18th, the deadline for rookie extensions, without a deal, the 6-foot-11 center will enter the 2022 offseason as a restricted free agent. Thus, in case Ayton signs an offer sheet from a different team next summer, Phoenix can easily match that deal. Of course, this buys the Suns more time to consider extending that maximum deal to their prized no. 1 pick from 2018.
Of course, there's that wrinkle that their relationship with 23-year old may become strained because they didn't fully commit to him. But at this point, it might be smarter for the Suns to wait it out and see how much better Ayton can get this upcoming campaign.
The incoming fourth year big man already seems extra motivated by the naysayers who are saying that Phoenix's Finals run was a fluke. Perhaps this added fuel of proving the Suns front office that he deserves the max deal will further prompt the Bahamian to elevate his game to All-Star caliber status. A more driven and inspired Ayton will be exactly what Phoenix wants if they want to make a return trip to the Finals and avenge their heartbreaking loss from a year ago.
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