Suns’ Deandre Ayton ‘happy’ to remain in Phoenix

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For at least a few hours, it appeared that Deandre Ayton would no longer be a member of the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. 

Last week, the Indiana Pacers and Ayton agreed to the largest offer sheet in the history of the NBA, a four-year, $133 million maximum contract. The Suns had 48 hours to match the offer or lose Ayton without compensation. 

Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns looks on before the game against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 7 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals on May 15, 2022, at Footprint Center in Phoenix.  (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Suns did match it, and quickly, keeping Ayton in Phoenix. 

"This is a blessing," Ayton told ESPN after signing the contract. "This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. That is the things that we go by …

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"I've come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. I just treated everything like a business. Just keep being professional, approach everything with professionalism and not looking too deep into it." 

Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns shoots a free throw against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 7 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals on May 15, 2022, at Footprint Center in Phoenix.  (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

By staying in Phoenix, Ayton cannot be traded until after Jan. 15 of next year and the Suns will need to wait a full year to