Deandre Ayton was benched to end the Phoenix Suns' 2021-22 season.
The former No. 1 overall pick didn't see the floor at all in the fourth quarter of Phoenix's stunning and historically bad second-round Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
And after Ayton logged just 17 minutes in the Game 7 defeat, Coach of the Year Monty Williams provided this cryptic remark when asked about the lack of playing time: "It's internal."
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On Monday, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer provided some insight into the Williams-Ayton dynamic, reporting that the center doesn't exactly have a huge fan in the head coach.
"The recent Williams dynamic may simply echo consistent word -- dating back to the trade deadline -- from league sources with knowledge of the situation that Ayton is not particularly a favorite of Phoenix's head coach," Fischer writes. "Williams has purportedly griped about Ayton's waning focus, which some people contacted by B/R said has often been reflected by the ebbs of his playing time.”
That wasn't the only notable Ayton-Suns nugget Fischer dropped in his story either.
"Ayton is expected to command a maximum salary, sources said, but there is skepticism among league executives the Suns would match such a lucrative offer," Fischer writes.
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"... There's a stronger sense among league figures that Phoenix brass simply does not view Ayton, or any center, as a player worth greater than $30 million annually."
The Suns refused to give Ayton his desired max contract last October, making him the first No. 1 pick since Anthony Bennett to not sign a rookie extension (h/t The Athletic). Phoenix then reportedly gauged Ayton's trade value ahead of February's trade deadline.
As a restricted free agent this summer, the 23-year-old Ayton will be eligible for a five-year, $177 million deal from the Suns and a four-year, $131 million offer sheet from other teams that Phoenix would have the opportunity to match.
The Suns' roster is getting expensive though, with Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges set to make over $83 million combined next season alone, while Cam Johnson is extension-eligible this offseason as well. Adding in a max for Ayton would almost surely send Phoenix into the luxury tax.
Should the Suns ultimately decide they don't want to pay up, Fischer mentioned the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers as the teams "most often linked by league personnel" as potential Ayton suitors. He added that the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs have also been mentioned as possible landing spots by multiple league execs.