NEW YORK — Deandre Ayton was asked Wednesday to define what success in the NBA looks like to him.
“Definitely getting to my second contract; that’s my success,” Ayton said at media availability for top lottery picks.
Ayton, a 7-foot-1 big man from Arizona, is widely expected to be the top player taken in Thursday’s NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns own the No. 1 overall pick.
Ayton’s answer might raise some eyebrows because the politically correct answer to these questions usually references team success. But the 19-year-old later added that getting to his second contract would likely indicate that his team thrived on the court.
Depending on the criteria he meets early in his career, Ayton could be eligible for a second contract worth in excess of $100 million.
His four-year rookie contract is projected to start at $8.2 million in his first season. Ayton will be eligible for a rookie extension after his third year. The center was asked on Wednesday about the possibility of playing with star Suns guard Devin Booker.
“I can pick-and-pop and Devin is a threat coming off the pick, so that’d be pretty hard to guard,” he said.
Ayton, who signed a multiyear endorsement contract with Puma earlier this week, is from the Bahamas. He said on Wednesday that he feels honored to have the chance to be a role model for young children growing up in his home country.
“It would be a big blessing,” said Ayton, who averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds at Arizona during his freshman season. “Having that chip on your shoulder and carrying a nation behind me. It’s a huge opportunity to show that Bahamian people, we’re not just a country of just track and field athletes. Watching [fellow Bahamian and Sacramento Kings guard] Buddy Hield, [Michigan State guard] Tum Tum [Nairn], they’re responding too. It’s huge to be part of that.”