UPDATE 6:29 p.m.
Former Arizona Wildcat Deandre Ayton will remain on the Phoenix Suns roster.
ESPN is reporting the Suns will match the offer sheet Ayton signed earlier today with the Indiana Pacers.
The Phoenix team had two days to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history, or they would have lost Ayton without compensation.
Because Ayton did sign the Indiana offer sheet, any sign-and-trade deal is no longer allowed
Ayton returns to Phoenix this seaso, and cannot be traded for the next year without his consent.
Original Story:
The Indiana Pacers made a bold move to sign former Arizona Wildcats and current Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton.
Full story on restricted free agent C Deandre Ayton agreeing to largest offer sheet in NBA history with Pacers -- four years, $133 million, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian tell ESPN: https://t.co/P1Jt4R74fM
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2022
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ayton — a restricted free agent — has agreed to a four-year, $133 million deal.
The offer sheet is the largest in NBA history, Wojnarowski reports.
The Suns are now in a precarious situation. They could either lose Ayton outright, be forced to pay for a player they don't seem to want, and could be ruled out of the trade sweepstakes for Kevin Durant.
Wojnarowski writes:
Sign-and-trade deals are longer allowed once Ayton signs the offer sheet with Indiana. If the Suns do match the offer sheet, they can't trade Ayton anywhere until at least Jan. 15 -- and can't trade him to Indiana for a year.
After playing the 2017-18 season at Arizona, Ayton has averaged 16.3 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game over his four-year Phoenix Suns career.
If he joins the Pacers, Ayton could team up with fellow former Wildcats T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Gabe York.
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