Day: May 12, 2023

The Phoenix Suns are widely expected to reassess the trade market of Deandre Ayton this offseason after they matched his four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers as a restricted free agent in 2022. The Suns could have offered Ayton a five-year deal worth up to $177 million, but they decided to force him to get an offer sheet on the open market before matching, which does make his contract more tradeable.

“As disappointing as this series was for Deandre Ayton and as awkward as this has been for the last couple years with him, I think there will be significant interest on the trade market this summer,” said Tim MacMahon. “He’s a 24-year-old former No. 1 overall pick who averaged 18 and 10 this year.”

“And he’s on the fun max,” said Brian Windhorst, referencing how Ayton’s max is for 25 percent of the cap coming off his rookie contract.

Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue are on the radar of the Milwaukee Bucks as they continue their head coaching search, sources tell Jake Fischer of Sports Betting News.

Both Williams and Lue are under contract, but there is some uncertainty with each of their situations.

The original deal Williams signed with the Suns in 2019 concludes in 23-24, but his more expensive extension kicks in for 24-25 and beyond.

“It’s hard for me to even see past today,” Williams told reporters after the Phoenix Suns were eliminated in the second round. “I’ll go in there and talk to the coaches, and we will re-evaluate as we go forward.”

Nikola Jokic became only the third player ever to average a 30-point triple double in a playoff series as the Denver Nuggets closed out the Phoenix Suns in six games.

Kevin Durant had high praise for Jokic after the game.

“Jokic is an all-time great,” Durant said. “He’s going to go down as one of the all-time great centers to ever touch a basketball.”

Durant, asked if he was surprised by Jokic’s dominance over the course of a best-of-seven series, said he “wasn’t surprised at all” and that “I always knew how great he was.”

“It just means a lot from someone who – the guy is amazing,” Jokic said. “He’s bringing so much attention (from our defense). Just a regular post-up or regular dribble, we were all looking at him. So when someone like that and someone who won it, who was an MVP and scoring champion, best scorer in the NBA says something like that, it means a lot.”