The Phoenix Suns are expected to match the offer sheet the Indiana Pacers presented to DeAndre Ayton on Thursday. The max contract offer sheet is for four years, worth $133M.
This is what Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports, adding that the Suns have shown no interest to discuss a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana.
If Suns match, Ayton has veto power on a trade for a full year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2022
If the Suns decide to match the offer sheet, they can’t trade Ayton anywhere until at least January 15, 2023. At the same time, they can’t trade him to Indiana for a year. On the other hand, Ayton will have veto power on any trade for a year.
If Phoenix doesn’t match the sheet, DeAndre Ayton will join the Pacers and the Suns will lose the 2018 No. 1 pick without compensation.
For his part, the 24-year-old big man is excited about the opportunity to become a centerpiece of the Pacers’ rebuild, alongside Tyrese Haliburton.
Ayton averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds this past season, shooting 63.4% from the field and 74.6% from the foul line.
