Deandre Ayton sets a restricted free agent record, Tyler Herro's trade value isn't what it once was, and Joel Embiid becomes one step closer to playing for the French National Team...

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FREE AGENCY

Deandre Ayton sets a Restricted Free Agent record

Deandre Ayton has signed the largest offer sheet in NBA history! His $133M, four-year deal from the Indiana Pacers surpasses the previous $107M record set in 2017 between Otto Porter Jr. and the Brooklyn Nets. As per the rules of restricted free agency, the Suns had 48 hours to decide whether to match the offer or let him walk for nothing — but they didn’t take nearly that long. Most NBA media and fans assumed that the Suns and their frugal ownership would not match an Ayton offer sheet. Not only had they not paid him a year ago when they could have, but they never made him a real offer of their own this offseason. This made Phoenix’s lack of hesitation all the more surprising, but it’s a tremendous sigh of relief for Suns fans. Ayton couldn’t wait any longer to get his well-deserved contract, but this decision will have ripple effects throughout the league. Now that Ayton has signed Indiana’s offer sheet and Phoenix matched, Ayton must remain a Sun until at least January 15th, thus throwing a significant curveball into their pursuit of Kevin Durant.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Tyler Herro's trade value is reportedly not what it once was

The Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes look to be underway, and the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks are among the most interested parties. While Mitchell has not formally requested a trade, Utah is reportedly open to hearing offers for the three-time All-Star. This comes as little surprise after the Jazz kicked off their rebuild with their Royce O’Neale and Rudy Gobert trades.

Unfortunately for Tyler Herro, not only has he been frequently dangled as a trade chip this offseason, but league execs are reportedly not very high on him. Despite being one of the breakout stars of the bubble where he had multiple 30+ point games, it appears RJ Barrett of the Knicks is a more sought-after trade asset.

According to an unofficial Bleacher Report poll of over twenty-four NBA executives, Barrett tops Herro by a wide margin due to the differences in their defensive abilities. RJ took a step forward this past season while Herro remains a bit of a liability on that side of the ball.

INTERNATIONAL

Joel Embiid looks to play for Team USA's Olympic rival

Joel Embiid's latest maneuver could majorly shake up the Olympic basketball power rankings. The 76ers superstar has officially obtained French nationality, clearing a major hurdle for him to represent Team France at the Olympic level.

While Embiid was born and raised in Cameroon, a French-speaking country, he has never played for their national team, which likely makes the process of playing for France easier. If approved, Embiid would qualify under the naturalized player slot.

Despite only having five NBA players compared to the United States’ twelve, the French team gave the Americans all kinds of trouble at the last Olympics. The French team defeated Team U.S.A in the group stage before the American squad got their revenge in the back-and-forth gold-medal game.

Embiid would instantly become the best player on a French roster boasting Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Frank Ntilikina.

THE RUMOR MILL

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