NBA Rumors: Utah an unlikely landing spot for former number 1 pick
The moratorium period for the NBA's free agency ends today with Deandre Ayton due an offer sheet from another team. The qualifying offer from the Phoenix Suns stands at $16.4 million.
As reported by Bleacher Reports' Jake Fischer and has been mentioned by Sportskeeda previously, Durant's demand for a trade out of Brooklyn has had a ripple effect across the league.
This has bottlenecked free-agent signings and trades. The vast majority of small and big-market teams around the NBA do not want to deprive themselves of the opportunity to sign Kevin Durant.
On Ayton's situation, Fischer wrote:
"Toronto and Indiana have repeatedly been mentioned as looming landing spots for the talented young center, but Utah has been described to B/R as an unlikely destination for Ayton, despite the Jazz moving off Gobert." (via) Bleacher Report
Stepping inside the Kevin Durant-Deandre Ayton offseason vortex @BR_NBA: bleacherreport.com/articles/10041…
Fischer also mentioned that league sources have informed Bleacher Report that there are teams in the NBA besides the Raptors and Pacers that are keeping tabs on Deandre Ayton.
With the Suns, Deandre Ayton is eligible for a five-year, $177 million max contract, and should he sign a max contract elsewhere, the same contract totals $131 million over a four year period.
Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns find themselves in an acrimonious situation resembling the one they were in last year.
Ayton put his head down and vowed to earn his max contract. However, he could only put up 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 17 minutes of play in the Game 7 blowout loss against the Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.
NBA offseason becomes stagnant
The Brooklyn Nets have put Durant's trade prospects on hold, with recent reports indicating the Nets are aiming to start the season with Durant on the roster.
This, at the very least, indicates that the Brooklyn Nets are playing the game on their terms instead of Durant's. For anyone unfamiliar with the situation 6 years ago, Durant was an unrestricted free-agent in 2016, and the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't match the offer sheet to retain him. They had to watch him leave the team.
I see u cookin 7. First day on the job was a success, love the kicks @ChetHolmgren twitter.com/nickdepaula/st…
But the matter today is different. Durant agreed to a four-year extension in 2021, and a team would have to give up a titanic amount of draft capital, along with a few players at the All-Star level.
Not many teams in the NBA are willing to sacrifice a robust future for a volatile one.