Deandre Ayton's future with the Suns?

[JeremyG]

If the best offer DA gets is substantially less than a max, DA’s camp might want to only do a couple years, which is what Jones might want also. So that could work out for both sides.

[TOO]

RFA typically moves a lot slower than UFA. It’s just the way it works.

Nobody’s asking why Miles Bridges has gotten any max offers yet…oh wait…

There's a reason nobody is touching Bridges.

yeah, hence the "oh wait" at the end.

but you know someone will sign him because our world doesn't care about this stuff.

He'll be a Laker on the minimum

[Split T]

He’ll probably have to take the QO

[JeremyG]

He’ll probably have to take the QO

Hornets can rescind it at any moment.

[INFORMER]

He’ll probably have to take the QO

Yeah, I think you're right. And who knows if he'll even be able to play...he'll likely get hit with a huge suspension.

[Mori Chu]

It seems like there's a narrative out there right now about Ayton that the league has decided he's not a max player. And yeah, if nobody is offering him the max, maybe that is the simplest conclusion. But I think the situation is more nuanced than that. There are two big confounding factors: one is that Ayton is an RFA, and the other is that not many teams have max cap space.

I think if Ayton were an UFA, he probably would have gotten a max offer or something close to it. Teams just don't want to go to all the trouble of courting a player, getting a commitment, signing an offer, only to have it matched a few days later and end up with nothing. Meanwhile they miss out on all of the other potential FA targets. That is a huge obstacle. RFA guys often struggle in the open market for this reason. And that's entirely by design; it's the point of restricted free agency, to give the current team a leg up and make it more likely you can find a way to retain your own free agent.

The other factor I mentioned is that not many teams have max cap space. I think plenty of contenders or near-contenders would want Ayton if they could fit him into their cap. Why wouldn't, say, Atlanta want him? Or Dallas? Or the Clippers, or the Pelicans, or any number of other teams? But they can't afford him. It isn't that they wouldn't pay him the max, it's that they can't. There are only a few teams with max space this summer, and mostly they're awful teams. So they don't want to break the bank to get Ayton since he's a piece that is most effective if you already have 1-2 other stars on your team to work with.

Anyways I'm not saying Ayton is some MVP candidate or whatever, just that the fact that he hasn't found a max offer doesn't mean that the league has decided he sucks. It's an outcome of a particular free agency situation that is complicated.

[Cap]

He’ll probably have to take the QO

Hornets can rescind it at any moment.

Theoretically they could, but it’s only $7.9M, which is well below his market value, even now.

[Mori Chu]

Theoretically they could, but it’s only $7.9M, which is well below his market value, even now.

Is it? How much would you pay for a player who may literally end up in prison?

[JeremyG]

It seems like there's a narrative out there right now about Ayton that the league has decided he's not a max player. And yeah, if nobody is offering him the max, maybe that is the simplest conclusion. But I think the situation is more nuanced than that. There are two big confounding factors: one is that Ayton is an RFA, and the other is that not many teams have max cap space.

I think if Ayton were an UFA, he probably would have gotten a max offer or something close to it. Teams just don't want to go to all the trouble of courting a player, getting a commitment, signing an offer, only to have it matched a few days later and end up with nothing. Meanwhile they miss out on all of the other potential FA targets. That is a huge obstacle. RFA guys often struggle in the open market for this reason. And that's entirely by design; it's the point of restricted free agency, to give the current team a leg up and make it more likely you can find a way to retain your own free agent.

The other factor I mentioned is that not many teams have max cap space. I think plenty of contenders or near-contenders would want Ayton if they could fit him into their cap. Why wouldn't, say, Atlanta want him? Or Dallas? Or the Clippers, or the Pelicans, or any number of other teams? But they can't afford him. It isn't that they wouldn't pay him the max, it's that they can't. There are only a few teams with max space this summer, and mostly they're awful teams. So they don't want to break the bank to get Ayton since he's a piece that is most effective if you already have 1-2 other stars on your team to work with.

Anyways I'm not saying Ayton is some MVP candidate or whatever, just that the fact that he hasn't found a max offer doesn't mean that the league has decided he sucks. It's an outcome of a particular free agency situation that is complicated.

Exactly. Well said. Also, one of those teams without max cap space may still do a S&T for him but that is also difficult with the BYC considerations.

[Cap]

Theoretically they could, but it’s only $7.9M, which is well below his market value, even now.

Is it? How much would you pay for a player who may literally end up in prison?

He’s very unlikely to end up in prison, and if he does you don’t have to pay him.

[JeremyG]

You just know Sarver will now let Ayton walk to Indiana for nothing to save money, and claim that it’s all good because we got Durant.

[TOO]

You just know Sarver will now let Ayton walk to Indiana for nothing to save money, and claim that it’s all good because we got Durant.

I don't think that will work financially. Ayton has to go in the deal imo.

[JeremyG]

You just know Sarver will now let Ayton walk to Indiana for nothing to save money, and claim that it’s all good because we got Durant.

I don't think that will work financially. Ayton has to go in the deal imo.

We can do the deal for KD with just our expirings, and certainly adding in Bridges and/or Johnson.

[Split T]

[JeremyG]

[Split T]

Could get us more picks to get KD?

[TOO]

But oh they have picks, so many picks. We about to send 8 firsts and 3 swaps to BKN lol.

[JeremyG]

Everybody’s saying Mitchell but he can’t go to Nets unless they get rid of Simmons.

[ShelC]

Mitchell to BK, DA to Utah and KD to Phx.

[Split T]

Maybe a 4 team where Mitchell goes to Miami and Herro and picks go to Brooklyn, Ayton to Utah, KD to Phoenix…