Deandre Ayton is facing a significant suspension for a violation of the league’s anti-drug policy.
Ayton tested positive for a diuretic and is facing a 25-game suspension, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday night.
Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns last year and had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the team’s win on Wednesday.
Woj says the NBAPA is preparing an arbitration case based on the belief that Ayton unintentionally ingested the substance.
The NBPA is already preparing arbitration case to reduce or rescind penalty, based on belief positive test falls under CBA provision of ‘unintentional ingestion', league sources tell ESPN. Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. https://t.co/UM34cCc3Ol
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 25, 2019
The 21-year-old big man out of Arizona averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season.
Diuretics are substances that increase urination, which many anti-drug agencies believe are masking agents used to flush out performance-enhancing substances.
“I want to apologize to my family, the entire Suns organization, my teammates, partners, our fans and the Phoenix community. This was an unintentional mistake and unfortunately I put something in my body that I was completely unaware of. I do understand the unfortunate impact that this has on so many others, and for that I am deeply sorry. I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve let my team down. I will continue to work with the NBPA to go through arbitration and am hopeful of a positive resolution,” Ayton said in a statement.
