between Ayton and the organization during last year’s postseason run, when Phoenix was eliminated by Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.last spring and had to be separated by coaches.
“We wanted Deandre here,” Jones said at the time. “He’s vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. And throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours, that wasn’t something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.
Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns shoots a free throw during the game during round two game four of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 7, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.The center was brought in to complete a Big 3 with Booker and Chris Paul, who arrived in the summer of 2020.