Suns reluctant to offer a maximum rookie contract extension to DeAndre Ayton
Negotiations between the two sides have stalled
The Phoenix Suns are reluctant to offer DeAndre Ayton a maximum contract extension.
For that reason the negotiations between the big man and the Western Conference Reigning Champions have stalled.
Per ESPN, Ayton, 23, is eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension, with escalators that could reach $207 million — a deal that many executives league-wide expected would be complete in short order this offseason. But now, with a looming Oct. 18 deadline for rookie extensions, sources said the talks between the Suns and Ayton’s representatives are slowed by ownership’s current assertion that Ayton doesn’t deserve to be included in that group of players — and a belief by the 7-footer that his performance, potential and the marketplace dictate that he does.
Sarver hasn’t paid luxury tax as Suns owner since the 2009-2010 season — a full decade before the franchise returned to the playoffs in 2020-2021.