The Indiana Pacers and center Deandre Ayton agreed to a huge money contract on Thursday.
According to senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the bid Indiana presented to Ayton is the richest offer sheet in league history. Wojnarowski says that the Phoenix Suns have the ability to match the offer for their star big man to keep him to stay but they only have 48 hours to do so.
RFA center Deandre Ayton has agreed to a four-year, $133M maximum offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Nima Namakian (Innovate Sports) and Bill Duffy (BDA Sports + WME Sports) tell ESPN. The Phoenix Suns have 48 hours to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2022
Whether it’s the Pacers or the Suns winding up with the 23-year-old, they will be receiving a dominant player that averages 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Ayton is a difference-maker on the floor and has been a part of good Suns teams that have made deep playoff runs. The center started for Phoenix during its 2021 playoff run, when the team lost in the championship round to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. (RELATED: Pat Connaughton Re-Signs With Milwaukee For Big Bucks)
It will be interesting to see whether or not the Suns match this max deal to retain their young star center.