<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Deandre-Ayton-Suns-2022-NBA-Free-Agency-James-Jones.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ message to Deandre Ayton throughout free agency saga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-19T10:41:16-07:00">July 19th, 10:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-19T10:58:22-07:00">July 19th, 10:58am</time><address><a>Katie Francis</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After weeks without a deal, Deandre Ayton is officially signed to the Phoenix Suns for four more years. The center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-deandre-ayton-strong-message-to-phoenix-after-signing-133-million-deal/">announced</a> his $133 million deal Tuesday night, and he’s ready to get back to work.</p><p>Just a day later, new revelations regarding the deal have surfaced. According to Suns GM James Jones, he was transparent with Deandre Ayton throughout free agency. He let him know that he was in the plan for the Suns moving forward.</p><blockquote>“I’m one to just be direct,” Jones said, all quotes per <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/07/19/suns-say-they-told-deandre-ayton-on-july-1-theyd-keep-him/">NBC Sports</a>. “And if you’re convicted, if you know what you want to do, you do it. But if there’s any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly.”</blockquote><p>Jones also noted the important role that Deandre Ayton plays with the Suns.</p><blockquote>“We wanted Deandre here. He’s vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. And throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours, that wasn’t something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.”</blockquote><p>This is refreshing to hear, since many believed that Ayton’s lackluster postseason performance wasn’t enough for the Suns to re-sign him. Now, Ayton has the opportunity to continue his NBA career with the team that drafted him first overall in 2018.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ message to Deandre Ayton throughout free agency saga

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Suns-news-Deandre-Ayton_s-true-feelings-about-botched-Tyrese-Haliburton-partnership-revealed.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns star Deandre Ayton’s true feelings about botched Tyrese Haliburton partnership, revealed</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-18T21:50:24-07:00">July 18th, 9:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-18T22:46:35-07:00">July 18th, 10:46pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton’s free agency saga will go down in history as one of the most memorable turn of events in the history of NBA free agency. After all, the Phoenix Suns’ decision to match the $133 max offer sheet the Indiana Pacers had on the table is currently the record-holder for the highest matched salary in league history.</p><p>At this point, Ayton himself revealed that he is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-deandre-ayton-strong-message-to-phoenix-after-signing-133-million-deal/" rel="noopener">happy</a> to be back with the Suns. At the end of the day, he got the money he wants, and he won’t have to go through the trouble of adjusting to a new city and a new team.</p><p>As it turns out, however, Ayton already has his sights firmly set on Indiana. In particular, the prized big man was very excited about the prospect of teaming up with Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton. This report comes via ESPN’s NBA guru Adrian Wojnaworski, via colleague <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34264981/deandre-ayton-happy-resolution-signing-extension-phoenix-suns-tout-vital-piece">Marc J. Spears</a>:</p><blockquote>Ayton was enthusiastic about the possibility of pairing with talented young guard Tyrese Haliburton and becoming a centerpiece of the Pacers’ rebuild, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pacers were equally excited about the possibility of potentially adding Ayton and were open to a sign-and-trade deal, sources told ESPN’s Andscape.</blockquote><p>What a partnership that would have been. These are two of the brightest young stars in the league, and they would have served as the core of an up-and-coming Pacers side for many, many years. It just wasn’t to be, though, and right now, Deandre Ayton is going to be running it back with the Suns this coming season with the hopes of getting back to the NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns star Deandre Ayton’s true feelings about botched Tyrese Haliburton partnership, revealed

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/X-reasons-Phoenix-must-match-Pacers_-133-million-offer-sheet-for-Deandre-Ayton.jpeg"></figure><h1>Deandre Ayton’s strong message to Suns after signing $133 million deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-18T20:50:49-07:00">July 18th, 8:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-20T07:35:55-07:00">July 20th, 7:35am</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton has officially signed his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenix-expected-deandre-ayton-move-after-historic-133-million-offer-sheet-with-pacers/" rel="noopener">four-year, $133 million deal</a> with the Phoenix Suns. Now, he’s ready to get back to work and show everyone that the team made the right decision to bring him back.</p><p>On Twitter, Ayton shared photos of him putting pen to paper on the deal. He also accompanied it with a strong message that should get the Suns faithful excited.</p><blockquote>“PHOENIX! I grew up here, got drafted here, had my son here. We have the best fans in the world. I’m ready to get back to work with my brothers,” Ayton <a href="https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1549224991840907264" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</blockquote><p>Of course, there were initial doubts that the Suns wouldn’t bring Deandre Ayton back. He hasn’t exactly liven up to expectations and was quite the disappointment during the 2022 playoffs, which was why Phoenix was against signing him to a max deal.</p><p>Ayton, however, is a restricted free agent. And so when he signed a $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, the Suns basically had no choice but to match. They couldn’t risk losing the former no. 1 overall pick for nothing, after all.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deandre Ayton has officially signed his 4-year, $133M contract with the Phoenix Suns 🔥</p><p>(📷: <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>) <a href="https://t.co/NqqYKBtJoh">pic.twitter.com/NqqYKBtJoh</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1549215342005833732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Despite how the whole situation unfolded, though, Ayton has no ill feelings towards the <a href="https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/rnRrYD">Suns</a> and the fact that they didn’t value him as much. In the end, he understood the NBA is a business and front offices and execs will do anything to put the franchise in the best position to succeed.</p><blockquote>“I’ve come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on, and just get back to work. I just treated everything like a business. Just keep being professional, approach everything with professionalism and not looking too deep into it,” Ayton explained, per <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34264981/deandre-ayton-happy-resolution-signing-extension-phoenix-suns-tout-vital-piece" rel="noopener">ESPN</a>.</blockquote><p>It remains to be seen if Ayton will be with the Suns long-term, considering the team considered trading him this offseason. For now, though, he’ll remain in Phoenix.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deandre Ayton’s strong message to Suns after signing $133 million deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-reality-behind-San-Antonio-missing-out-on-Deandre-Ayton-revealed.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: The reality behind Spurs missing out on Deandre Ayton, revealed</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-15T19:37:28-07:00">July 15th, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-15T19:37:28-07:00">July 15th, 7:37pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It wasn’t just the Indiana Pacers who missed out on Deandre Ayton when the Phoenix Suns decided to match their record-breaking $133 million offer sheet for the prized big man. A few other teams around the league also kept a keen eye on Ayton’s situation with the Suns, and according to some reports, the San Antonio Spurs were one of them.</p><p>As it turns out, however, the Spurs weren’t really in the market for Ayton. They may have been observing the developments in Phoenix, but San Antonio never really wanted Ayton in the first place. This report comes via team insider <a href="https://www.spurstalk.com/latest-spurs-intel-deandre-ayton-domino/">LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk</a>:</p><blockquote> According to a reliable source, the Spurs never considered making Ayton an offer in free agency. As SpursTalk reported prior to the start of free agency, Ayton signing with the Spurs was very unlikely. Even when the Spurs were only one of two teams capable of making a max offer to Ayton, the source tells me that San Antonio declined to even engage with Ayton’s camp.</blockquote><p>It now seems loud and clear that the Spurs aren’t interested in being competitive next year. A full-blown tank season appears underway for coach Gregg Popovich and his men (that is, of course, under the assumption that the legendary coach stays on), and the arrival of Ayton would be counterproductive in this sense.</p><p>Ellis also reports that the Spurs could get <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-rumors-san-antonio-keeping-a-close-eye-on-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-donovan-mitchell-trade-sagas/" rel="noopener">involved</a> in the looming blockbuster trade deals involving Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and/or Donovan Mitchell. They aren’t interested in bringing any of these three superstars to San Antonio, though, with their goal to be a facilitator in a potential deal that will reward them with some draft capital.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: The reality behind Spurs missing out on Deandre Ayton, revealed

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/X-bold-predictions-for-Suns-star-in-2022-23-NBA-season-after-free-agency-saga.jpeg"></figure><h1>2 bold predictions for Suns star Deandre Ayton in 2022-23 NBA season after free agency saga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-15T07:36:51-07:00">July 15th, 7:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-15T16:03:47-07:00">July 15th, 4:03pm</time><address><a>Sean Barnard</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Deandre Ayton is officially heading back to the Phoenix Suns. After seemingly having a falling out with Monty Williams and the rest of the Suns organization, he looked to be on his way out. The Indiana Pacers extended the max offer sheet that Ayton desperately sought, but Phoenix <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenix-surprisingly-matches-pacers-133-million-offer-sheet-for-deandre-ayton/">elected to match the deal.</a></p><p>Even considering the frustrating end of the season, it should not be a major surprise that the Suns elected to keep the center. The soon-to-be 24-year-old was selected first overall in 2018 and has notched 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during his four-year career. Allowing a former top pick and high-caliber NBA talent to walk away without getting anything in return can be a dooming decision for a franchise. The Suns did the right thing by matching.</p><p>This move assures that Ayton will start the 2022-23 season in Phoenix. Despite all the trade rumors leading up to the deal, Ayton is ineligible to be traded until Jan. 15. He also cann’t be traded to the Pacers for a full year. The relationship is likely to be strained after Phoenix was firm in its belief Ayton was not worth a full max contract throughout the offseason. Regardless, the franchise swallowed their pride and paid the big man, so they will attempt to improve this relationship on the floor.</p><p>Given that his immediate future with the Suns is now certain, here are two Deandre Ayton predictions for the 2022-23 season.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408">click for free trial</a>)*</i></b></p><h2><b>Deandre Ayton 2022-23 predictions with Suns</b></h2><p><b>Ayton will be traded at deadline</b></p><p>Deandre Ayton is certain to start the season with the Suns, but it is not as clear where he will end it. It is evident Phoenix is not sold on Ayton as a long-term building block. The biggest factor in landing a star on the market via trade is having the right pieces to intrigue a team. He may not be looked at as a building block by the Suns, but there are plenty of teams who think otherwise.</p><p>It is unclear how long the Kevin Durant drama will drag on. Given the high price that other notable players have demanded in the trade market (Dejounte Murray, Rudy Gobert, etc), it is entirely possible no team can reach the price the Nets demand. Durant still has four years on his contract and Brooklyn has no responsibility to trade him until its number is met. If this carries on to the deadline, expect the Suns to be right back in the mix and Ayton to be a part of it.</p><p>Even if Kevin Durant is not the target, expect the Suns to explore Deandre Ayton’s market. Just a few months ago, he was benched in Game 7 of the Suns’ playoff exit. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenixs-decision-deandre-ayton-stance-before-pacers-offer-sheet/" rel="noopener">The team reportedly did not even offer</a> Ayton a contract prior to matching the Pacers’ offer sheet. The relationship appeared broken last season, and the perception was he had played his last game in Phoenix. If the bad blood boils on, expect him to finish off his four-year deal elsewhere.</p><p><b>Ayton sets career high in points</b></p><p>While there certainly seems to be behind-the-scenes issues with Deandre Ayton, there is still a lot to like about his play. Although the contract has already been delivered, expect Ayton to look at this year as a prove-it year. Going out and producing at a high level would be the quickest way to wipe the slate clean. The former top pick has had an up-and-down scoring performance in his four-year career. Ayton scored career highs in the 2019-20 season with 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. His numbers slipped in 2020-21 to 14.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.</p><p>Last season he saw his scoring move back in the right direction and <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aytonde01.html">averaged</a> 17.2 points per game. Look for Ayton to continue in this direction and put the league on notice this year. He has shown flashes of a developing jump shot, and adding this would change his game. Ayton knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers last year but attempted just 19. If he can continue to grow this area, it raises his ceiling greatly. The Suns may not view Ayton as the player they hoped, but he is still an impressive talent. If he can consistently play more assertive on the boards and as a shot blocker, he will lock in his status as a top-five center.</p><p>The Suns should still have a positive outlook for next season. While the disastrous playoff ending left a black eye on the season, the 2021-22 season was still a success. Phoenix had the best record in the NBA and still has its core in place. Both Deandre Ayton and the Suns should be looking to mend their relationship if they hope to achieve their ultimate goal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 bold predictions for Suns star Deandre Ayton in 2022-23 NBA season after free agency saga

Bam Adebayo

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Matthew Dellavedova

Tyus Jones

Deandre Ayton

Miles Bridges

Mike Conley

Enes Kanter

Eric Gordon

Trey Burke

2018-19 All-Rookie

Phoenix Suns

Career

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1549224991840907264/

PHOENIX! I grew up here, got drafted here, had my son here. We have the best fans in the world. 

I’m ready to get back to work with my brothers. 🔒 

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1524556443650772992/

From a young age, playing the drums came naturally to me. It felt great pickin up the sticks again!!

🥁 S/o @StateFarm and @PlayersTribune for showing off how I flipped the switch! #StateFarmPartner



https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1520166378300329984/

I gotta ball, how could I not? 🤷🏾‍♂️😈 

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1516211227848024066/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1515440663474679811/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1511833603121971200/

THATS WHAT DA GAME DO‼️6️⃣3️⃣ 

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1507109241835831315/

https://twitter.com/DeandreAyton/status/1505603525497307148/

Never tucked my tail, I went to war with real drillers 😈⚰️ 

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
17.2	10.2	1.4	0.7	0.7

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
17.2	10.2	1.4	0.7	0.7

Deandre
Ayton

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