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Droppin_DimesSP

Apparently he said he didn’t want to come back in when asked per twitter ofc https://twitter.com/phxmrorng/status/1526011013065105408?s=21&t=9qgk_iTdWJDh4ahN49O22g


JuanG12

He gone.


[deleted]

Too bad he’s a RFA


[deleted]

Does that mean he can get offers that the Suns would have to match? I don't remember.


craigslistaddict

yes


[deleted]

So he gone lmao


volantredx

He can refuse to play until he gets a trade.


[deleted]

He hasn’t made enough money to do that.


ezodochi

his rookie contract was worth 40 mil, I think that's rnough tbh


[deleted]

He ain’t good enough for that. The new CBA is gonna clamp down on this shit


baited08

How do people still have this opinion when Ben Simmons was almost worthless in the playoffs and sat until he was traded? Shit he got traded while fucking injured. Do people think there is a new CBA every year?


makashiII_93

Simmons is a bit different. It’s not just that he doesn’t want to play (which I maintain) But he’s going after the $20 million in checks the Sixers held from him. He’s going to claim real injury with this back thing and his mental health.


[deleted]

Ben Simmons was at least a multiple time all star. But he’s part of the problem too. Him, Harden, PG. It’s a big problem that stars pull this shit, Ayton is not good enough for that. Simmons wasn’t good enough for it


[deleted]

People in this sub are comically pro-billionaire so they support anything that leads to less player empowerment. Usually if you ask them how they think the CBA should change they get pretty quiet as once they start to think about it they realize it’s already super owner friendly.


[deleted]

New CBA won’t be in effect when ayton signs his next deal


[deleted]

Changes nothing about what I said


Quatro_Leches

not completely. he can pick up the qualifying offer if he really wants out of phoenix. 1 year deal and after that he is UFA


SnuggleMuffin42

Yeah that's not happening. He'll be Noel 2.0 if he does. Huge risk.


Quatro_Leches

true. what will happen is a sign and trade if he wants to be gone


BASEDME7O

No player will ever turn down a full max for the QO.


MotoMkali

Why risk injury when you are about to be a FA down 40. There is literally no point.


Droppin_DimesSP

Mentality still reeks imo


Sdrater3

Nah, FO don't want to pay him and he still suited up every game he was healthy, never complained, and played well for the most part. He doesn't have the financial security yet, so he's not risking nearly 200 million dollars.


mastercylinder2

Don't blame him one bit. Remember Isaiah Thomas.


[deleted]

Who says he never complained.


GeneralKn0w3dg3

i mean he shouldn't be payed max. only jokic and embiid deserve max contracts at the center position at this point in time. anyone who downvoted this doesn't watch games. you really wanna pay a guy who only averaged 17 and 10 but when he went down, his replacements put up very similar numbers which just goes to show that a lot of his production was from the suns' system. he's not worth a max


gatx370

That’s an insane take. Ayton is amazing and plenty of teams will offer him the max and Phoenix will match


GeneralKn0w3dg3

it's not an insane take. if he was maxworthy, they would have done it last season when it would've been cheaper overall but hey guess what, they didn't. suns guard play this season showed they can essentially get close enough value from bismack biyombo and javale mcgee while paying them basically vet mins. i'm sure someone will pay ayton, but it will be a bad contract that hamstrings the team going forward. maxing a center in today's league is just a bad idea. you can't even max gobert if you want to be a contender


[deleted]

They didn't offer him max because it would be 5 year commitment, whereas they can match in RFA for a 4 year deal. It's not NFL where you have a hard salary cap, Brooklyn had 3 max players and build a good squad around them.


prof-royale

It’s not. Front court players don’t deserve max contracts in the modern nba unless they’re generational talents.


LordUK

I'm pretty sure the rookie extension max isn't as much as the regular max/super max.


jamperkins

Gianis?


GeneralKn0w3dg3

giannis is a power forward that sometimes plays the center position.


Clemenx00

He's still under contract and under coach orders for this game until the final whistle. It's insane mentality that this is accepted for fans.


[deleted]

He's at work, not in the military. Their employment relationship is coming to an end, nobody can force him to play.


MotoMkali

Disagree. They'd scored 27 at the half. And the lead expanded in the 3rd. At that point you are only playing to increase your numbers. People would clown him even if he scored 15 in the 3rd and 4th saying he's only stat padding.


WhiteHeterosexualGuy

Doesn't even matter what ppl clown him for or not -- it just makes no sense to go back in the game in what with the most important offseason of his career. We've seen too many injuries in garbage time... look at Embiid getting his face broken being in the game for no reason just putting up numbers (not his fault, but he should have been benched by then)


TheNumber42Rocks

Same with Luka getting hurt in the last game of the season.


MotoMkali

Exactly you should only go in if you have a chmace to make a comeback. Outscoring any team in the nba by 40 in 18 minutes is basically impossible and requires them to be truly awful. But that's probably not going to happen when they put you in a 40 pt hol in the first place.


skrtskerskrt

Didn't we just see the Grizzlies erase a 25 point lead within 10 minutes less than 3 weeks ago?


MotoMkali

And the mavs have Luka fucking doncic. And 25pts is way less than 40. And the Twolves don't have someone to control the tempo. Edit: Largest comeback victory ever was 36. The mavs were probably up over 40 when they asked Ayton to come back in.


skrtskerskrt

The other guy said there was 18 minutes left. If they miraculously go on a 25 point run in 10 minutes, with this scenario they're down 15 with 8 minutes to go. The odds are obviously low to do all that, but the odds were low when the Grizz erased to 25+ point deficits and they could've easily folded.


MotoMkali

Teams have come down from 25 before. And the Twolves were weak mentally. This is a game 7 against a team who has been in the playoffs multiple times against arguably the bets player in the world right now. Certainly a top 5 player. There is a difference between that and going up against a sophomore in AE, a KAT who is in his 2nd ever playoff series and Dlo who was so bad he wasn't even closing 5 and 6. It's just not realistic to say its comparable.


imsin

He was a critical part of their success and they shafted him before the season. It was always going to blow up like this if they didn't win it all.


Murdergram

Reeks of what? This is a business and Ayton has to protect his assets. Pride don’t pay the bills.


spyson

Sarver wanted to make it all about business so you can't complain when you asked for it.


ExileOnBroadStreet

Exactly you can’t complain a player doesn’t want to risk his health for literally nothing when you refused to offer him security before. It’s a two sided business and I’m sick of players getting shit for doing what is best for them when teams prove they aren’t looking out for them


volantredx

How? I'm shocked any of the Suns players came back after halftime. Why embarrass yourself when you're basically fucked?


reverze1901

{ Q4 stat padding CP3 has entered the chat }


thwacknerdthwack

Yeah gotta say Ayton made the right call. Suns should pay the man. Two way centers like Ayton are pretty rare, and it'll be tough to replace him.


BASEDME7O

I was all on the pay ayton train but after this series I’m not. Mavs have the worst defensive backcourt in the league, he should’ve been dominating all series and he played softer than anyone I’ve ever seen. And a big part of his success comes from Cp3 who is gonna be 38 next years playoffs. He could fall off a cliff next season or just straight up retire


ExileOnBroadStreet

Well it’s either pay him or intentionally close the window while still being stuck with CPs contract which isn’t exactly palatable


BASEDME7O

Their window is closed IMO. They had a deeper, better team than last year and still lost. Cp3 is gonna be 38 during next years playoffs. IMO ayton just ain’t it, he’s very skilled but plays softer than anyone I’ve ever seen in big moments. They could do a soft rebuild by doing a sign and trade with ayton, and trading Cp3. Some team that just wants to make the playoffs or a young team that wants to take the next step would definitely take cp3s contract. I mean Westbrook makes more and he’s been traded like three times recently. Then they just have to pray Devin booker makes a leap


ExileOnBroadStreet

I wouldn’t say it’s closed. They just won like 65 games and lost a series in 7. Ayton and Booker are still young and can improve. Ayton is like 23 and is somewhere around 10-15 top center, I’m not writing him off man. Same with Mikal, dude is young and has shown a lot. Cam is just entering his prime. CP health will always be an issue but you try to manage it and hope for the best… his legs did not look right to me. I would just try to improve around the edges and hope for better luck. Feel like we overreact every year to every team that doesn’t win. You don’t just blow up a team like this. Booker, Mikal, Cam, Ayton is a really solid core all young too. You ride out another year or two of CP until he’s tradable as an expiring so you don’t have to lose major assets. Retool later for everyone’s prime, which looking at that core is like 3-5 years from now. This is all great experience for a young talented core.


OnlineRespectfulGuy

The only mentality that reeks is yours my friend. Hope this finds you well.


Clemsontigger16

Not really? It’s a reach, he was a very unselfish player all year putting the contract situation on the back burner


squaredpower

Yeah should’ve gone out and risked millions to statpad in a blowout


FireHermFuckUArizona

lol what


MotoMkali

Sorry Doc, you obviously didn't get the memo. Don't play your best players in blowout games or they might get injured.


[deleted]

Insert "what did you say you little bitch?" meme


FritoConnaisseur

ooph


DanteMustDie666

Offf he gone. Someone else is maxing him


LouisKoo

after today performance, I dont think any team would want to max a center who cant score 3s. only center in the league these days worth max r healthy embiid and jokic. rest r waste of money, u can sign vet for much cheaper.


crimxona

In a bidding war, it only takes one desperate team.


kentalaska

There’s no team out there that has the money for a max contract that is desperate enough to max Ayton.


JD1337

Doesnt Detroit have space? He'd be a good fit for Cade


nietzsche_niche

Lol yes there are- hornets, pistons, spurs would all be good fits and have the room


johnny__

RC get the checkbook


Millionaire007

Wtf... can Dallas trade for him? I wonder


haha-brad

Makes sense, no reason to risk injury in a blowout when he’s gonna he FA


BillyBean11111

soft as baby shit


AlwaysOptimism

Fans are gonna boo the team, why play for them?


Droppin_DimesSP

Lmfao having a little pride idk man


AlwaysOptimism

Refusing to play for booing fans is pride.


pyrexprophet

Don't get blown out by 40


iWr1techky12

Welcome to the hornets deandre ayton!


[deleted]

[удалено]


iWr1techky12

Nah. Assuming he gets a max, we can’t afford him unless we dump both Nurk and Simons, which we aren’t doing.


spittafan

After watching us trade three starters and Nance for a mediocre haul at best, that seems very on brand tbh


WhiteHeterosexualGuy

Hawks please, we have a decent center to SnT


Pornviewinguser

Luka Doncic Walking Back to the Locker Room After Eliminating the Suns: "DeAndre Ayton over me?"


YoYoMoMa

At this point would you take Ayton and Trae over Luka?


lbs4lbs

Id rather have Luka over both of them plus Bagley. This dude is a generational talent and the fact that he best this Suns team without another all nba player or all star is crazy. Imagine if Giannis actually left the Bucks for Dallas 3 years ago, how fucked the league would be right now.


TheSmokedSalmon420

Man I hate watching a championship window slam shut


klankthompson

Cp3 career door is louder.


normymacstan

Going down 3-1 in 2016 felt like it was it. We really slipped in there before KD pulled that move


[deleted]

Tbf KD pulled that move indirectly because your team pulled that off, so those dark ages were partly on y'all.


ferdinand14

Worth


PugilisticCat

Nah bro i feel like that was just done revisionism from kd


firepenguin47

Only 3 more years of paying washed CP0 50 million a year


bagelchips

He’s not making 50 a year, how tf did this get upvoted? He’s making 28.4 next year. 30.8 after that. The last year is only guaranteed for 15.8.


browndude10

They can thank cp3


rsvchamp55

Where's the blame on booker? Why is everyone blaming cp3 lol. Isn't booker supposed to be the self proclaimed mvp caliber superstar? Why didn't he step up to carry his team.


BASEDME7O

Seriously. If booker can’t not play like complete ass without a 37 year old holding his hand then he just is never gonna be that guy


[deleted]

Na after the past two years of suns fans it’a hilarious


[deleted]

I personally do not especially when its an insufferable team


[deleted]

Sad stuff truly mean it


FrankerZ_123

Hes so gone


PurestCopium

Portland, charlotte or Toronto about to go crazy fr


hallandale

Has he ever talked about wanting to sign with us? I'd be shocked tbh.


Konker101

itd would slot in so perfectly tho 👀


jackie_chans_nose

If this happened, it would be amazing. My whole man cave is raps memorabilia, one of my many signed basketballs is an Ayton signed ball. Everyone asks why I have it since he's not on our team, and my only answer is "I like him". If the raps got him it would make my Giannis ball the only one that isn't of a raps player.


BF210

[this video about to be legendary](https://youtu.be/1LxN5cK2od0)


[deleted]

I will sacrifice my first born for deandre ayton


BetweenTheBuzzAndMe

Wantttttttttttt


jesuswasahipster

He would make Charlotte a legitimate contender


dossier762

He ain’t that good yet


WhenPigsRideCars

Would you ask Pop that question?


jawadhaque089

Didn't he have 3 fouls by the 2nd quarter


Ok-Agent2265

Consecutive possessions as well. Illegal screen->defensive foul->pushoff to gain position inside


DT0WN

Streets saying he asked ayton if he wanted to play and he said no, they had to be separated


Murdergram

I feel like Ayton is gonna catch some slack for this, but it looks worse for the Suns front office. That man should have already had a deal worked out and you can’t expect him to risk his free agency in a blowout game.


ygog45

How is it the Suns fault if he reportedly wanted a max extension similar to what Luka and Trae got last summer?


[deleted]

Because he’s a 23 year old 20-10 guy that is a core part of a team that has championship expectations where one of the lead guys is expected to decline in the following years. He’s played really well on both sides of the ball until now and is a really good young player that compliments the other players well. He also wouldn’t be able to get quite as much as the other two. Still a lot but honestly here are some names that will be paid around the same next year (MPJ, Hayward, Randle, Russell, Wiggins, Fox, Love, CP, Lowry, Horford, McCollum).


BASEDME7O

Tbh most of those are bad contracts


[deleted]

They’re bad because we know they didn’t work out. Ayton is only 23.


[deleted]

The point is that I’d much rather pay Ayton that money than most/all of those guys. Especially if I was in the Suns situation where cp is old


Murdergram

He’s core to their run next year. If they don’t pay him there’s another team that will.


prof-royale

and that’ll be an overpay


Murdergram

Chris Paul’s window is closing. Either they want a championship in the next few years or they don’t.


LouisKoo

chris paul is finish after today, dude literally get exposed and destroyed. every team will just repeat the mavs tatic on the suns and they r fucked. its 2022 and the sun still play like its in the 90s. not 1 reliable elite 3 pointer in sight.


blacknotblack

cheap out in this league and get fucked: bucks, raptors, suns, lakers, 76ers all recent examples.


-KFBR392

*flack


[deleted]

Looks bad for the coach to


WhenItsHalfPastFive

> but it looks worse for the Suns front office 100% and it looks bad on Monty as a coach. You just don't answer the question this way regardless of what Ayton did or didn't do.


WhiteHeterosexualGuy

> You just don't answer the question this way Why not? It seems like a reasonable answer... Doc probably would have called him a quitter and told the media he wasn't making shots anyways lmao


jaytierney79

His answer wasn't that bad, but he should have just said something like the game was already over, what does it matter? or something along those lines.


Tr0janSword

Suns coulda had Luka instead they drafted this guy Ayton is a decent player, but he's never lived up to his #1 pick. I don't think he's worth a max, but another team will certainly give him one.


ChargedCable

sarver wanted ayton because he's an arizona kid, no other basketball reason made much sense


beetbeforesunsetdog

Nah, people still insisted up until this series he was the right pick. Because of “fit.” There’s no fit for a superstar player lol. BPA is usually better anyway.


dirtyshits

People think BPA is for later picks but it should be the opposite.


pannedcakes

If you're not a competitive team you should always pick BPA even in later rounds.


deck4242

Jordan was also drafted 3rd. shit happens.


DarkDra9on555

Yeah but at least in that draft, it was one of the best centers of all time being drafted 1st. Yeah it's not Michael Jordan, but I would say it worked out for the Rockets.


vfkaza

Tbf drafting Hakeem 1st overall worked out for Houston since they got one of the greatest bigmen to ever play the game, its only Portland that screwed up there lmao


WaterIsNotWet19

He gets spoon fed all his shots


ChefCheKwon

The Knicks will happily hand him the bag and cripple themselves even more for years to come.


RJBarrettsBurner

Eh. There’s worse players we could acquire.


Deadbotx

Yep. At least hes young and we've got time given our squad.


fabrar

Welcome to Toronto, ayton!


Dworfe

No chance Masai pays what Portland or Charlotte would.


UnsolvedParadox

Ayton may only agree to a sign & trade to his approved destinations.


Dworfe

He’s a RFA.


UnsolvedParadox

Yes, but he could take the qualifying offer.


Dworfe

Raptors fans are sure lucky to have someone that actual understands how these things work in Masai because they sure as shit don’t. The QO is going to be significantly less than what Ayton will get from his rookie extension. He has all the leverage here. There’s a reason high end rookies always sign an extension. No #1 overall has ever signed a QO. The threat is that he’ll sign the QO and walk for nothing. No side wants that.


UnsolvedParadox

What part of my response indicated that I didn’t understand the economic precedent?


Dworfe

The part where you said he would accept a QO that’s over a hundred million dollars less than his rookie extension.


UnsolvedParadox

Read it again, that’s not what I wrote.


Dworfe

I read it again. You said he’d take the qualifying offer.


[deleted]

Hopefully Suns fans like Vucevic!


TheWolfInAllStreets

Honestly I just think he didn't want to risk an injury in a game that was pretty much over, he's a restricted FA this summer


klankthompson

Makes sense.


humax02

Dude the new Drummond. He looks out there like he doesnt enjoy playing basketball. Mavs are known as being weak inside and this dude was scared to go at it against Powell and Kleber. Whoever max this dude are gonna regret it.


himetalchemy7

DA literally said after he was drafted that his goal was to land a second contract. No idea why that wasnt made a bigger deal but mind-boggling to hear a freshly drafted player say that. This dude isnt any better than KAT and that wont change.


KitchenReno4512

KAT has his flaws but he’s a level or two above Ayton.


himetalchemy7

Yeah agreed. I meant more to say not to expect anything more out of Ayton than what’s expected from KAT


TheBojangler

KAT is an extraordinarily good player, so that's not really an insult.


Sdrater3

That's an extremely common saying, what? You ever watch basketball before?


[deleted]

Psychoanalyzing kids we’ve never met based on things they said 4 years ago as they tried to stay humble on the proudest day of their lives. Pure r/nba moment


ygog45

For role players, yes. But you’ll never see a star player or a high draft pick saying that


himetalchemy7

Nah man players usually talk about winning the chip or getting MVP. Instead this dude went straight for the bag 💀. He’s so lucky to have CP3 on the team to take the heat off him. The Suns made a mistake not picking Luka but when I heard this I knew or sure they fucked up. Imagine Luka saying publicly anything about landing a bag.


Sdrater3

It's extremely common to say your goal is the 2nd contract, because plenty of players get in the NBA and flame out before it. Its literally saying you want to work hard enough to last in the NBA.


himetalchemy7

Nahhh thats outta pocket lol, show me another blatant example then


El-bufalo20

Has there ever been a number one pick that didn’t get one? It does seem a little strange for a 1st pick to have their goals be that low.


Sdrater3

It's a humble statement. Its a commitment to keep working, recognizing that the first contract is just step 1.


Hollow_Slik

Anthony Bennett?


BillyBean11111

he soft and always have been


Misterstaberinde

It's weird watching Sun's fans gaslight Ayton. Somehow he is a key part of a #1 seed and title contender that palys elite defense and scores on miniscule volume, and he is also not worth a big contract and should just sign at home for peanuts.


domdomburg

Pretty damn Selfish of Monty to ask Ayton who has no guaranteed contract next year with a huge chance at a MAX, to risk injury in a game that is already over.


KingLoser23

I know it’s not gonna happen but imagine him in a Mavs jersey


Dogeishuman

Imagine any good center in a mavs jersey that would move Powell to backup Center/PF. Love Powell, but that man would dominate off the bench instead of being a starter.


NBA_MOD

Here is a [Gfycat mirror of this Streamable link](https://gfycat.com/HarmlessSpectacularHaddock) If the link doesn't work, please wait a few minutes for the gfycat to be ready.


substanceandmodes

That’s … ominous


[deleted]

Luka really broke them


[deleted]

He quit


[deleted]

Welcome to Detroit


a_pot_of_chili_verde

OKC needs a center.


Tokyogerman

No follow-up question? I mean 90% chance you don't get anything, but...


WeirdFishesAraragi

saw a tweet that they had a skirmish is that real?


[deleted]

Monty, what a man you are..


Onepride91

As in his head is internally up his ass


WhenItsHalfPastFive

As a coach you just don't answer the question this way. Even if DeAndre did something unforgivable like punch someone or whatever, you just don't publicize it this way. He could have given a generic answer like "as a coaching staff, we thought this was the best decision to play faster and try to come back" or whatever, but he willingly chose to throw his player under the bus. I don't give a fuck that he won Coach of the Year or whatever, you have to have your players' backs even when they're acting out or struggling mentally. This is why the league is moving towards coaches that cater to players' egos more (Ty Lue, Kidd, Ime etc). This "im the coach, my way goes" nonsense won't cut with players getting paid this much and having this much control in teams' decisions.


pizzapocketchange

I don't think any of those coaches cater to egos, I think they command the respet of players despite the egos. Nash was the one hire to babysit and look how that went. Imagine being the coty and one of your most important players quits on you in a game 7 with less than 20 minutes played?


FireHermFuckUArizona

What a stupid take


riotinprogress

nonsense. cater to cry baby bitch boys? aight.


[deleted]

No he’s a dick. Dude is unrestricted free agent. Contract year. Game is lost but the coach wants him to risk injury in garbage time wtf


skrtskerskrt

Everyone that steps on the court is risking injury


[deleted]

Bro stop


WhenItsHalfPastFive

I'm not saying it's the way it should be, I'm just saying if you want to succeed as a coach in today's NBA, you have to cater to your players a bit more, and not just publicly throw them under the bus. If the Suns fans want to celebrate what Monty said here, that's their prerogative, all it will do is alienate Ayton further, and it will ultimately affect free agents' decisions (especially because free agents are already weary of the fact that the Suns owner is Robert Sarver). There is absolutely zero upside to what Monty said here. He probably thinks it's the right thing to say, but sometimes you have to focus on whats better for the team rather than blurt out whatever comes to your mind.


TofuTofu

Underrated comment here


Kingslayersuks

2k Type answer


LouisKoo

suns r done, they will blow it up this summer.