Plath wasn’t writing specifically about the relationship between Deandre Ayton and the Suns back in 1963, but the metaphor still applies.
After Ayton signed an offer sheet for four years and $133 million with the Pacers on Thursday, the Suns were forced into their last preferred option with Ayton. They chose to match that deal and keep him rather than figuratively starving to death and losing him for nothing.
To borrow from another legendary American artist:
Plath and the great Papa Roach both foreshadowed Ayton’s signing as the final major domino to fall in free agency (with apologies to Collin Sexton, whose own fig tree is burning to a crisp in a Cleveland river). How does his signing impact the rest of the league?
MORE: Why Suns matched Pacers’ offer sheet
What does Deandre Ayton’s signing mean for the Suns’ pursuit of Kevin Durant?
Ayton can’t be traded until Jan. 15, and he has full veto power over a trade for the next year. The Suns’ dreams of a sign-and-trade are gone, and Ayton’s inclusion in a package for Durant is on life support.
Maybe that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t seem like the Nets were dying to acquire Ayton before he was signed. Opinions on his value vary significantly, and it is quite possible that the Nets weren’t thrilled with the idea of him taking up a quarter of their salary cap.
If that’s the case, then the Suns’ best offer hasn’t materially changed. They still have Mikal Bridges and matching salaries in the form of a few players (Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder or Landry Shamet), plus four first-round draft picks and three pick swaps.
What does Deandre Ayton’s signing mean for the Heat and Raptors?
The Heat landed on Durant’s original wishlist. Unfortunately, they don’t have close to the best pieces to pull a deal off.
Their biggest trade asset, Bam Adebayo, can’t be included while Ben Simmons is on the Nets because of wonky collective bargaining agreement rules involving rookie max extensions. And per Sam Amick of The Athletic, Durant had previously expressed that he would only want to go to Miami if Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Adebayo were still on the team.
The Heat also don’t have much in the form of draft compensation to offer. They could give two first-round picks (a crappy one next season and another way down the line) and pick swaps.
The Raptors still make the most sense as a Durant landing spot, and the Ayton deal does little to change that. They have a ton of promising young players, and the same combination of picks and swaps that the Suns can offer.
If including Scottie Barnes is a non-starter, Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby could still be the centerpiece of a trade.
What does Deandre Ayton’s signing mean for the Pacers?
The Pacers created a bunch of cap space and are prevented from using it for the next two days. It will probably take even longer than that for them to fill it.
Aside from Sexton, there aren’t any major free agents left for them to spend on. They’ll probably do nothing with it or use it in some form of imbalanced salary trade.
The Pacers could act as a third team in a superstar trade, taking on dead salary in exchange for draft equity to make salary-matching quandaries easier to manage. They could also take a big player straight into their cap space without giving anything back.
Suns, Deandre Ayton and non-taxpaying teams emerge as winners
The rest of the owners in the league have to be cheering. Last season, the 23 non-taxpaying teams all received a massive $11 million disbursement from the seven teams that were in the tax. This year, the cheapskates are set to get an even bigger bonus.
The Suns are now a taxpaying team. The Ayton deal will put them $35 million into the tax. The record-setting $481 million in tax revenue last season is expected to rise to well over $600 million, per Spotrac. If your team isn’t already in the tax, then it probably won’t go into it later. Teams that are right above the tax line will likely make aggressive midseason moves to get under.
Despite that financial hit, the Suns are also winners. It’s reasonable to think that Ayton isn’t worth a max deal. But nobody can argue against the fact that he’s a very good player, and he clearly will still have some value around the league.
By forcing Ayton to get an offer sheet, the Suns also saved a bit of money. Had they given Ayton the full max themselves, Ayton’s annual raises would have been eight percent instead of five. And they avoided including the dreaded player options and trade kickers that Ayton certainly would have asked from them.
Ayton is also a winner of sorts. Sure, he has to go to an awkward work environment, but he got the max deal that he was seeking. He could still eventually be moved to a team of his liking down the road.