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Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Deandre Ayton blames Robert Sarver for not getting max contract?

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Jason Burgos | Last updated 9/29/22

Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton is under the impression that the team’s soon-to-be former owner Robert Sarver is the main reason he lost out on an extra year and $40 million in a new long-term deal with the franchise.

One of the biggest stories for the Suns last season was the organization’s decision to pass on offering their starting center the five-year max contract he was eligible for and instead let him test restricted free agency this summer. The issue seemed to cause a not-too-secret schism between him and the franchise during the season, and it all came to a head with the team’s stunning ouster by the Dallas Mavericks in the West Conference semifinals.

In July, the Indiana Pacers offered the 24-year-old a four-year max deal, which Phoenix immediately matched. It made their decision to pass on a five-year contract but then quickly sign him to a four-year max peculiar. However, on Wednesday, ESPN NBA insider Marc J. Spears added some clarity to that situation during an appearance on the network.

“I think Deandre Ayton felt like, ‘Do you really want me?’ The Suns did not sign him to the five-year deal. That cost him one year and $40 million. So, that’s certainly something that caused the ire of him. I was told it was Robert Sarver who didn’t want to give him that fifth year — who wanted to save the money.”
Marc J. Spears on Ayton contract issues

On the same panel with Spears, fellow ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelbourne added more details to the saga of Ayton’s contentions with the Suns over a long-term deal. And it seems the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft puts the blame for not getting the max contract he was really hoping for squarely on Sarver.

“Marc, you said something really important there: Who Deandre Ayton, in his mind, attributes the idea that he didn’t get that max contract to? Does he blame Robert Sarver, the front office, does he blame Monty Williams? And my understanding, from talking to people close to Deandre, is he thinks this was Robert Sarver’s decision as well. I know there were some hurt feelings over that contract and how that played out. If they were going to instantly match the offer sheet that he signed, why not give him the max contract?”
Ramona Shelbourne on Ayton’s issues with Sarver

NBA training camps opened last week and Ayton admitted in his first media scrum that he has not spoken to the team’s head coach since the Suns’ disappointing Game 7 loss to the Mavericks. That's not a particularly encouraging development for a team with championship aspirations.

However, one positive is that Sarver is expected to sell his majority ownership in the team after an NBA investigation revealed countless instances of inappropriate workplace behavior by the Suns boss during his tenure leading the franchise.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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