Deandre Ayton is signing a max contract offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The contract worth about $133 million for four years and the Phoenix Suns have two days to match the offer.
If the Suns match the offer, they cannot trade Ayton anywhere until January 15, while even then, they cannot send Ayton to Indiana for one year. Ayton’s offer sheet surpasses the four-year, $107 million deal signed by Otto Porter Jr. with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017.
The Suns did not make an offer to Ayton as the starting center demanded a max deal from Phoenix at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Arizona product has developed into a quality starting center, averaging 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
He helped the team reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 during the 2020-21 anchoring the Suns’ defense. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds this past season, while shooting 63.4 percent from the field.
Phoenix had a historic regular season run the past year finishing with a franchise record 63 wins, but the playoffs were a different story. Phoenix’s postseason ended with a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
RFA center Deandre Ayton has agreed to a four-year, $133M maximum offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Nima Namakian (Innovate Sports) and Bill Duffy (BDA Sports + WME Sports) tell ESPN. The Phoenix Suns have 48 hours to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2022