Deandre Ayton has been one of the biggest names in free agency so far as he is up for a brand new contract. He is a restricted free agent, which means he can only be signed by other teams via an offer sheet. This puts a lot of restrictions on other teams, and it allows the Phoenix Suns to match the offer sheet and retain Ayton.
For weeks now, it has been a foregone conclusion that Ayton would be going to another team. Many thought that it would be through a sign and trade involving Kevin Durant, although now, that scenario looks highly unlikely.
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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, this is because the Indiana Pacers and Ayton came to an agreement on a four-year, $133 million offer sheet. This is the largest offer sheet in NBA history, and now, the Suns have 48 hours to respond. According to Woj as well, it seems like the Suns will match the offer sheet, although this will mean Ayton cannot be traded until January.
This will now put a huge damper on the Suns’ ability to trade for Kevin Durant. The KD trade remains up in the air, and Ayton just changed the outlook for a potential deal.
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