According to sports radio talk show host John Gambadoro on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix, the Suns are still unwilling to pay any center $30 million a year.
“The best conditions for the Sun for a year, someone else raised DeAndre, we thought the Suns would match the gift,” Gambadoro said.
According to some NBA betting sites, the Suns have a top-5 chance to win a championship in 2023. However, a few sportsbooks are not sure if Phoenix can compete with the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers.
John Gambadoro continued, “You save a year and you save about $45 million. But with a trade and a trade starting to become a possibility, the Suns still don’t want to pay a center $30 million. [per year]He said.
“That’s not what they wanted to do. They don’t believe in it. They like Kevin Looney’s angle: I’ll pay a center $10-12 million and the backup $5.” [million]And I spent that money elsewhere.
Waiting months to pay Ayton sent the wrong message.
John Gambadoro believes the Suns will still refuse to pay any center $30 million.
Although the Golden State Warriors selected Looney 30th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. The comparison doesn’t work; There is a slight difference. Phoenix wanted the best center in as little as possible.
The Suns are reluctant to give a center a max contract, but they used their 2018 first overall pick to draft 6’11” center Deandre Ayton. Instead of taking Luka Doncic, they chose the Arizona product.
In July, Suns GM James Jones ended up matching Ayton’s $133 million offer to the Indiana Pacers. So, something is not really added. All this is greed. John Gambadoro agrees with that sentiment.
Of course, the NBA is a business. However, many fans think the Suns aren’t sure what they want. This is all very confusing. Jae Crowder has yet to sign a contract extension with the team. Rumors surfaced over the summer that Phoenix was planning to trade the forward.
Crowder is now in the final year of a three-year, $29 million contract he signed with the team through 2020. He will make $10.183 million through the 2022-23 season.
To be fair, Jones and head coach Monty Williams weren’t part of the previous leadership. They were later hired with the team. Former GM Ryan McDonough put Ayton in an awkward position by picking him up overall.
John Gambadoro must be as confused as anyone. That’s why moving from one executive to another can quickly turn a competitor down. Conversely, with the right people in charge, he can turn an underachieving team into a championship-caliber threat.
