DeAndre Ayton may be the one wanting a new deal from the Phoenix Suns, but on Sunday, it’s Mikal Bridges that gets a four-year extension, ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline for the 2018 draft class to sign.
Bridges has shown flashes of being one of the better two-way players in the game as he is coming off a career year averaging 13.5 PPG while shooting 54.8% from the field. Bridges played a pivotal role in Phoenix’s run to the NBA Finals averaging 11.1 points on 48.4 percent shooting and 4.3 rebounds through 22 playoff games.
The Suns didn’t take long to see his potential and inked him to an extension worth $90 million, which is fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Although Bridges is taken care of for the foreseeable future, the league can’t help but turn their attention to Ayton.
The Suns and their star center appear to be at a crossroads when it comes to an extension. Ayton, who was the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, has no intention of accepting a deal less than the comparable max contracts signed by several of his 2018 NBA draft classmates, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That group includes Atlanta‘s Trae Young, Dallas‘ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Denver‘s Michael Porter Jr.
Ayton is eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension, with escalators that could reach up to $207 million.
The 23-year-old big man set career highs in 2019-20 with 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks per contest, but injuries limited him to a mere 38 games. Following the Suns’ acquisition of Chris Paul last offseason, Ayton saw his offensive production dip this past season to 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. However, it’s worth noting he stayed healthy playing in 71 games while shooting a career-high 62.6 percent from the field.
Many executives leaguewide expected a deal would’ve been hammered out in short order this offseason for Ayton, given his complementary role to the backcourt of Paul and Devin Booker.
Now, with the Oct. 18 deadline for rookie extensions just over 24 hours away, talks between the Suns and Ayton’s representatives have been slowed by ownership’s current assertion that Ayton doesn’t deserve to be paid similar to his draft classmates, Woj notes. Yet, the belief from the 7-footer is that his performance and potential speaks for itself, and the marketplace should dictate that he does belong up there.
If an extension cannot be reached, Ayton will become a restricted free agent next summer which could lead to a season full of storylines that has the potential to cause an unwanted distraction in the organization.
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