A Pale Path in Phoenix
When Deandre Ayton entered restricted free agency, the path forward for the Phoenix Suns was unclear. After making an NBA Finals appearance for the first time in nearly 30 years, championship aspirations in Arizona only grew stronger. However, with Chris Paul entering the golden years of his career with far too much money on the books to move him, their window to contend seemed to be closing rapidly.
Nevertheless, the league’s landscape continues to fluctuate as Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. With Phoenix being atop his list of preferred destinations, suddenly, hope filled the air for the Suns. Especially with rumors of a sign and trade for Ayton growing louder, there was strong reason to believe that Phoenix could put themselves in a position to win it all next year. Well, until the Indiana Pacers officially extended Ayton an offer sheet of $133 million, which the Phoenix Suns matched the same day. With Ayton now ineligible to be traded until January of 2023, the Suns find themselves far removed from square one. As the organization is now locked into a roster built for regular season success, questions remain around their ability to contend in the playoffs.
Although Phoenix now has its core three players under contract, it is unclear how the organization intends to contend without a complete commitment from Ayton. With the rising star being benched in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals as he watched his team get eliminated from the sidelines, it is fair to question Ayton’s devotion to the game and, in turn, his teammates.
Still, it’s a risk James Jones and the Phoenix Suns organization were willing to take. Although Ayton may be on the record stating that he plays five hours of video games daily, to let him walk for nothing with such potential for growth would have been absurd. That’s not to say he will surely surpass expectations, but it does ensure the Suns can find out what they have in Ayton and, at worst, get value back for him in the future.
