The Detroit Pistons will be monitoring the situation with Deandre Ayton in Phoenix very closely.
Yesterday it was reported that the former number one pick failed to reach an agreement on a rookie extension with the Phoenix Suns:
ESPN Sources: Suns talks with Deandre Ayton on rookie extension have ended --- without a deal. Ayton expected max contract and owner Robert Sarver hasn’t offered it. More coming on consequences for failing to reach deal with 2018 No. 1 overall pick. NBA Today debut, ESPN2. Now.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2021
Ayton wants a max deal and is very unhappy that he has not been offered one after being a key piece in last year’s Finals team.
With so many other guys in his class getting the max, and the Suns splashing out on role players, Ayton is livid that Phoenix is being so cheap.
Is he a guy the Detroit Pistons will pursue?
Detroit Pistons: Deandre Ayton is one to watch
Just last week I wrote about how the Pistons would get other chances at unhappy stars in relation to the rumors swirling around Ben Simmons.
The Pistons have been attached to Simmons for some time, and there is a lot to like there, but there are also plenty of red flags.
Both are high-ceiling players who are under-25, so it makes sense for the Pistons to be interested and you could argue about which guy is a better fit.
The Pistons could try to trade for Ayton, but that would be foolish considering they are not on the brink of contention and they might be able to get him in free agency anyway if the Suns truly don’t want to offer him the max.
Ayton is a double-double machine and a shot blocker who has shown that he can perform on the highest level (though he wasn’t great in the Finals), so should the Pistons try to steal him away with a max offer next offseason?
It’s easy to argue either side.
Why the Detroit Pistons should not pursue Deandre Ayton
The Pistons are a young rebuilding team that has a lot of nice pieces in Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes, but they are not on the brink of contention, so going for a guy like Ayton might be a reach at this stage.
The Pistons already have a young talented center in Isaiah Stewart who they have locked up through 2023-24 on a cheap rookie deal.
Center is no longer the most important in the NBA, in fact, you could argue that it is the least important given the way the game has changed and Ayton is a bit of a throwback who doesn’t shoot from long range or really spread the floor yet (though that is probably coming).
Signing Ayton would force the Pistons to either move on from Isaiah Stewart, make him a backup center or move him to power forward and we haven’t seen him shoot enough to know if he is capable of making such a move.
If not, the Detroit Pistons suddenly have two bigs again, and the last time that happened it was a disaster for Detroit.
Of course, Ayton is not Andre Drummond, and Isaiah Stewart is not Greg Monroe, so it wouldn’t be exactly the same and there are some compelling reasons to go after Deandre Ayton if he hits the free-agent market.
Why the Detroit Pistons should pursue Deandre Ayton
Much like with Ben Simmons, one of the reasons to go after Ayton is that the Pistons don’t get many chances to land stars, especially ones that have not yet hit their prime.
Ayton is just 23-years-old, so fits the Pistons timeline for contention perfectly and has a skillset that complements the guys they already have.
He was a monster in the pick-and-roll with Chris Paul and could play a similar role with Cade Cunningham on the Detroit Pistons. Troy Weaver was reportedly interested in James Wiseman for the same reasons and Ayton is just a better version.
Ayton has flashed the ability to hit a mid-range jumper and his range is going to continue to increase, which lessens the worries about his fit with Isaiah Stewart.
I also love that Ayton is a team player who sacrificed his own touches and stats last season to accommodate Chris Paul so let’s not forget that Ayton averaged 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds the season before.
He’s already been to the Finals and gotten reps on the big stage, so he’ll bring some experience even though he is still young. He’ll also have a huge chip on his shoulder if the Suns fail to sign him and we love those guys in Detroit.
I think he is a much better long-term fit with the Pistons than someone like Simmons and still has his best basketball ahead of him.
It would likely take a max offer to get him but the Pistons will be flush with cash next offseason and he will probably be the best available free agent.
There is a lot to like about Deandre Ayton on the Detroit Pistons and I think he will be one of their primary targets if he makes it to restricted free agency next offseason.