Report: "A Lot Of Teams" Lining Up For Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton's season began in Phoenix this year in an uncomfortable place, as he  was angry about the lack of a rookie max extension offer. Now his season has ended in Phoenix in a very ominous place—benched in their Game 7 loss after "some words" with head coach Monty Williams. 

It's safe to say that this will be a summer of reckoning for the Phoenix Suns organization and Deandre Ayton. NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski says he'll have no shortage of suitors as a restricted free agent. 

"DeAndre Ayton did not feel valued by the Phoenix organization… So now, he moves towards RFA… DeAndre Ayton is going to get a max contract somewhere… There are a lot of teams lining up to figure out how to acquire him." - @wojespn on DeAndre Ayton pic.twitter.com/TE17U6oLZ5

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) May 17, 2022

"DeAndre Ayton did not feel valued by the Phoenix organization," wrote Woj. "So now, he moves towards RFA… DeAndre Ayton is going to get a max contract somewhere… There are a lot of teams lining up to figure out how to acquire him." 

One team that's come to light is possibly the Indiana Pacers. The Suns and Pacers reportedly had exploratory talks at the trade deadline about an Ayton move to Indiana.

And there are plenty of other teams who could use a big man like Ayton. 

ESPN's Kendrick Perkins says "you gotta get that big fella paid."

.@KendrickPerkins puts blame on Chris Paul and Monty Williams for Suns deteriorating relationship with Deandre Ayton 👀

"I don't blame [Deandre Ayton] for actually getting into it with Monty Williams. ... You gotta get that big fella paid." pic.twitter.com/0ujsaSFy9l

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 16, 2022

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, Ayton has averaged 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in his four years in Phoenix, with a 60% FG and 1.0 block per game. As a restricted free agent, he'll be looking for the bag.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports