It’s been a long and winding road but the Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns have finally come to terms.
For weeks now, many people have predicted that Ayton would be departing the Suns.
This was because he seemed unhappy with his role on the team last season and some inside reports suggested the coaching staff was ready to say goodbye to the big man.
But when push came to shove on Thursday, the Suns re-signed him.
The Suns made clear throughout free agency that the franchise intended to bring Ayton back – and were committed to spend in order to continue competing for a title around All-NBA star Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Ayton. Phoenix now goes approximately $15M into the tax. https://t.co/PCVHYtk6OH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2022
Following a four-year, $133 million offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers, the Suns decided to recommit to Ayton and bring him back.
Shams Charania states that no matter what rumors have persisted, the Suns have been committed to spending what they need to continue competing for a title.
That means they have planned on having Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Ayton back next season as they take another run at the Finals.
To do so, the Suns had to go approximately $15 million into the tax.
Will this all pay off?
Ayton Returns
First of all, the Suns actually never made it clear that they intended to bring Ayton back.
Quite the opposite in fact: the writing on the wall indicated he would probably depart the team.
But now that he’s back, what are the chances that this entire ordeal and massive re-signing was worth it?
Next season’s Suns will look remarkably similar to last season’s and we all know how that ended.
Still, before their embarrassing collapse to the Dallas Mavericks, the Suns were odds-on favorites to at least make the Western Conference Finals.
Obviously, their approach is if it’s not broken, it shouldn’t be fixed.
It just cost the Suns an awful lot of money to keep things the way they are.
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