Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns looks up during the second half of the NBA game against the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin (23) against Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Pistons will be monitoring the situation with Deandre Ayton in Phoenix very closely.
Yesterday it was reported that the former number one pick failed to reach an agreement on a rookie extension with the Phoenix Suns:
ESPN Sources: Suns talks with Deandre Ayton on rookie extension have ended — without a deal. Ayton expected max contract and owner Robert Sarver hasn’t offered it. More coming on consequences for failing to reach deal with 2018 No. 1 overall pick. NBA Today debut, ESPN2. Now.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2021
Ayton wants a max deal and is very unhappy that he has not been offered one after being a key piece in last year’s Finals team.
With so many other guys in his class getting the max, and the Suns splashing out on role players, Ayton is livid that Phoenix is being so cheap.
Is he a guy the Detroit Pistons will pursue?
Just last week I wrote about how the Pistons would get other chances at unhappy stars in relation to the rumors swirling around Ben Simmons.
The Pistons have been attached to Simmons for some time, and there is a lot to like there, but there are also plenty of red flags.
Both are high-ceiling players who are under-25, so it makes sense for the Pistons to be interested and you could argue about which guy is a better fit.
The Pistons could try to trade for Ayton, but that would be foolish considering they are not on the brink of contention and they might be able to get him in free agency anyway if the Suns truly don’t want to offer him the max.
Ayton is a double-double machine and a shot blocker who has shown that he can perform on the highest level (though he wasn’t great in the Finals), so should the Pistons try to steal him away with a max offer next offseason?
It’s easy to argue either side.
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