Is Deandre Ayton a max player? He probably is going to get paid like one

The day after a five-point, four-rebound performance in an elimination game where he argued with the Coach of the Year is probably not the fairest time to ask this question, but it’s out there:

Is Deandre Ayton a max player?

The Suns didn’t put a max extension on the table for him before the season (leading to tension between the sides), the result being he’s about to head into restricted free agency. Would the Suns offer him a max now? When a reporter threw a softball question to Devin Booker after Game 7 about Ayton’s free agency — the kind of question usually answered with some version of “he’s a critical part of our culture and what we do” — Booker was not quite so enthusiastic.

"His contract situation is between him and the front office. I care about him as a brother. Just making sure his mental is right…whatever happens, happens. Kind of hard to look so far in the future." – Devin Booker on Deandre Ayton's contract situation

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) May 16, 2022

After this playoff performance, are the Suns going to put a max offer on the table for Ayton?

If they don’t another team will, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on NBA Today.

"Deandre Ayton is going to get a max contract in the marketplace somewhere… There are a lot of teams lining up to figure out: how can we acquire him?"

— @wojespn on where things stand between Ayton & the Suns