| October 18, 2021, 9:06 PM
October 18, 2021, 9:06 PM
The Phoenix Suns and franchise centre Deandre Ayton have failed to reach an agreement on a rookie contract extension before the NBA's deadline for players from the 2018 draft class, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski reports the two parties failed to reach an agreement because Ayton expected a five-year max contract extension, which the Suns never offered.
Ayton now enters the 2021-22 season on the final year of his rookie contract and can become a restricted free agent next off-season.
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick broke out last season averaging 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and one block for the Suns. He followed that up with 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while shooting 65.8 per cent from the floor in their run to the NBA Finals.
The Suns had a busy off-season, signing Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet to extensions.
Collin Sexton (Cleveland), Miles Bridges (Charlotte), Troy Brown Jr. (Chicago), Donte DiVincenzo (Milwaukee), Kevin Knox II (New York), Mo Bamba (Orlando), Lonnie Walker IV (San Antonio), Anfernee Simons (Portland) and Aaron Holiday (Washington) are the other players who didn't reach agreements.
