Phoenix Suns make decision on Deandre Ayton offer sheet

Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Deandre Ayton will remain in Phoenix for the upcoming season.

The Suns have matched the Indian Pacers’ four-year, $133 million maximum offer sheet for Ayton, and therefore will retain the 23-year-old.

The Phoenix Suns have matched the Indiana Pacers’ four-year, $133 million maximum offer sheet on Deandre Ayton, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Ayton stays in Phoenix.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2022

Ayton agreed to the Pacers’ maximum offer sheet earlier Thursday. The Suns had 48 hours to either match the offer sheet or let Ayton go to Indiana.

The 23-year-old was a restricted free agent this offseason and did not seem to want to return to the Suns. Earlier reports suggested that the Suns did not view Ayton as a max contract player. But the team may have decided that keeping Ayton and having the chance to trade him for a return later, rather than lose him to the Pacers for nothing, was the right move.

Ayton, a former No. 1 pick out of Arizona, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season for the Suns. He played a major defensive role for Phoenix during the team’s 2021 NBA Finals run, but was unhappy with the Suns entering the season after the two sides failed to agree to a contract extension.