Deandre Ayton breaks silence after failed contract extension talks with Phoenix Suns

Deandre Ayton breaks silence after failed contract extension talks with Phoenix Suns

Deandre Ayton

The Phoenix Suns have been the biggest topic in conversations this week after failing to make an agreement with their former number one overall pick from the 2018 draft, Deandre Ayton. The player was headed into the 2021-22 season expecting to sign a max rookie deal worth a $172 million with the franchise.

However, owner Robert Sarver was claimed to be quiet reluctant with the idea, hence rejecting Ayton’s request. The Phoenix Suns owner and authorities received tremendous amounts of backlash on twitter with one fan going as far as calling Sarver, a penny pincher.

General Manager James Jones (left), Coach Monty Williams (right)

The Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones opened up about the situation on The Athletic saying, ”We didn’t have real negotiations.” According to Jones, the player was very hesitant himself to accept anything less than what he had demanded for and the franchise just simply could not agree.

He was domi-Ayton during the playoffs

Cam Payne
Camron Payne and Deandre Ayton

The 23-year old big man was a very essential part of the team’s success during their deep run in the 2020-21 season playoffs. Ayton put up valuable numbers against team rivals giving them the extra nudge they needed.

During the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, Ayton jammed a game winner to shake the Clippers off their lead securing his team an important win. Perhaps it was why fans and followers were left confused after the team failed to make ends meet.

YouTube video

Deandre Ayton finally breaks his silence

Deandre Ayton and Nikola Jokic

The Suns center expressed his feelings during a press conference saying, “One thing about me, throughout my whole life, I’ve always learned to control what I can control. At the same time, obviously I’m disappointed, but I’m still trying to get us back to the finals.”

Being one of the best two way big men in the league, he still plans on training relentlessly with his teammates and doing whatever it takes to get back to the top and the NBA finals.

On opening night, the Suns suffered a loss against the Denver Nuggets. Ayton managed to stack up 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. He shot 60% of his total shots taken that night.

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