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The Phoenix Suns matched the Indiana Pacers' offer sheet for Deandre Ayton, keeping him at the franchise. The Suns acted quickly to tie Ayton down to a new deal after he signed a $133 million, four-year offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers.
However, all might not be well between Ayton and the Suns. During the second round of the 2022 playoffs, head coach Monty Williams only played Ayton for 17 minutes. He then shut him down early in the third quarter of Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks.
As such, it was rumored that the Suns had grown tired of the center. However, the latest developments indicate Phoenix still rate Ayton,
Former Suns player Jalen Rose spoke with David Jacoby about Ayton's situation.
"Here's the psyche Deandre Ayton," Jalen Rose said."This relationship is over as soon as he signs the contract."
"Of course they were really disappointed in this year's playoffs, but the young man has did all of the right things," Rose added.
When asked about who's accountable for the Suns' playoff collapse, Rose had this to say:
"It wasn't just Ayton, you can put a lot of people's faces up on that bulletin board based on why they got bounced unceremoniously."
Deandre Ayton's development with the Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton has developed into one of the best bigs in the NBA. Earlier in his career, he was compared to Philadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid, but he soon developed his own style of play.
In his second year, he showed incredible promise and was able to cement himself as one of the top young centers in the league. However, his production declined following the arrival of Chris Paul. He averaged fewer points than he did in his rookie season and his rebounding numbers dropped slightly. At the same time, he did become a more efficient scorer and a threat in pick and roll situations.
He also transitioned from a low-post scorer to a rim protector. Considering all that he's done for the franchise in his nascent career, he does deserve to be cut some slack.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
