1. Deandre Ayton – $32.4 million
It is somewhat ironic that center Deandre Ayton is making the least amount of money of the players mentioned here, yet tops the list. But the approximately $100 million he is owed over the next three seasons is going to look really ugly if he can’t get it together this season under new head coach Frank Vogel.
Ayton is the x-factor of this Suns group, because if he commits to being a defensive anchor and eclipses his 2021 form (which saw the Suns reach the NBA Finals), then his deal is going to look like a bargain. In doing this, he will become the best fourth option in the league, and a crucial part of a contender.
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1696727380125941829
But if the 25-year-old again breezes through games and doesn’t cover his star teammates on the other end, that deal is going to become harder and harder to move. In the moment when the Suns signed Ayton to a contract extension after he had inked an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, it was seen as a smart move by all.
You don’t want to lose a first overall pick for nothing, especially one that was selected ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young. That is still probably the case today, but that move was made before Durant or Beal were on this roster. It is impossible to predict where Ayton’s money could have gone instead, but the Suns’ situation has changed since then.
They’re under new ownership in Ishbia, and have a General Manager in James Jones who is as aggressive in building a winner as Ishbia is. The flip side of the argument is that Ayton is a top 10 player at his position, and is still yet to enter his prime. In that context, his deal doesn’t look too bad. Ayton has to hit for the Suns to win it all, and if he doesn’t, he’ll be an expensive afterthought.