Deandre Ayton to Remain in Phoenix Following Pacers Offer Sheet vs. Suns.

The Phoenix Suns, who simply weren't prepared to let him get away for nothing, have finally given Deandre Ayton his new contract.

Ayton's four-year, $133 million offer from the Indiana Pacers was swiftly matched by the Phoenix Suns, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Because the Suns had not yet made their choice public, the person talked to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Phoenix matching the offer was first reported by The Athletic. Ayton has reportedly agreed to work with the Pacers, according to ESPN.
As for Indiana, the Pacers' chances of acquiring the former first-round lottery pick have virtually been dashed as a result of the Suns' decision to match the offer sheet, which prevents them from trading for Ayton before July 15, 2023.

Ayton, who has developed into a key component for a revitalized Phoenix team since joining the league, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while starting 58 games at center last year.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, an agreement between the two sides seems probable, and it would cost the Knicks a significant amount of draft capital to complete the deal for Mitchell.

At the conclusion of this, "I do think there's a strong chance Donovan Mitchell is going to end up with the Knicks," he declared.

"And even if the Knicks try to play hardball between now and then, I think we're going to witness a historic pick haul," said the analyst.
This rumor follows an earlier report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the Pacers were waiving and stretching Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas (the three players who were acquired in the Boston trade for Malcolm Brogdon) in order to free up the cap space needed to sign Ayton to the maximum offer sheet.