![]() In this case, Indiana likely won't mind not getting back the $31 million in cap room used to sign Ayton until after he officially passes his physical in Phoenix (a process the Suns can drag out up to four days if they wish). Offer sheets to restricted free agents have been rare in recent years (this was the first since the Sacramento Kings declined to match the Atlanta Hawks' offer to Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2020 free agency, and Tyus Jones signed the only other one in the previous three summers) in part because of the way they tie up a team's cap space. ![]() Pacers pivot to using cap space for trades A team in championship contention couldn't afford the talent drain that losing Ayton would mean, no matter how skeptical they might be of his value. Key to the Suns' decision here was that even if they don't think Ayton is worth the max, other teams clearly do. Adding additional payroll could be untenable in that scenario. Because Ayton can't be included this summer, Phoenix would almost certainly be sending the Nets less combined salary than Durant's $44 million in 2022-23. The tax bill could alter the Suns' thinking on a deal for Durant. Phoenix will have the opportunity to lessen that bill with midseason moves, including a possible Ayton trade. They're now about $16 million above the tax line with 14 players under contract, including center Jock Landale, whose contract is largely non-guaranteed. Matching Ayton does take the Suns deep into the luxury tax. The Suns were no longer choosing between a sign-and-trade or Ayton at the max, but strictly between whether to keep him at that price (which is slightly cheaper than a four-year max deal from Phoenix would have been because an offer sheet is capped at a 5% annual raise as opposed to 8%, a difference of about $5.5 million over the life of the deal) or let him walk entirely. Alternatively, the Suns might have found a sign-and-trade involving Ayton they liked.Ĭonstraining Phoenix's options altered that decision. With so few teams holding max cap space, Ayton might have languished in restricted free agency and been forced to choose between a smaller deal with Phoenix and signing his one-year, $16.4 million qualifying offer. That helps explain why Phoenix would be willing to match Indiana's offer sheet, despite being unwilling to offer Ayton a similar contract last fall as an extension or again at the start of free agency - when they declined to make him an offer, per Wojnarowski, all but daring him to sign an offer sheet with another team.īack then, the Suns could hope for a few more favorable outcomes. Still, the Suns could eventually trade Ayton to a destination he likes by the trade deadline in February. ![]() He also must sign off on any trade in that span. 15 and can't be sent to Indiana for a full year. Now, those possibilities are off the board. Or Ayton could have been included as part of a Durant deal. A sign-and-trade could have sent him out for multiple players to enhance Phoenix's forward depth and bring back a replacement at center on a cheaper contract. Matching the Pacers' offer was the clear decisionĪs long as Ayton remained unsigned, the Suns had plenty of alternatives available if they didn't want to pay him the max. Let's break down the full implications of Thursday's moves for the Suns and Pacers. ![]() That could mean more changes in store for the Suns and complicates their pursuit of a trade for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, who reportedly named Phoenix as a preferred destination when he requested a trade from the Nets. For the remainder of the next year, Ayton must consent to any trade and can't be dealt to the Pacers.īringing back Ayton also pushes Phoenix well over the NBA's luxury-tax line, a rarity for a team that last paid the tax in 2008-09, per. 1 overall pick.Īs with any free agent who gets a raise like Ayton did, the Suns are prohibited from trading him until Jan. The move keeps Ayton in Phoenix but limits the team's options for trading the 2019 No. Shortly after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Ayton had signed the four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana, the Suns made the decision to match it without using the full two days available to them. What does the Phoenix Suns' decision to match the Indiana Pacers' max offer sheet for restricted free agent Deandre Ayton mean for them and the Pacers? NBA free agency 2022: What's next for Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers after Deandre Ayton's max offer sheet? You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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