PHOENIX — Phoenix basketball fans are determined to keep the Suns' players together, even if they have to take matters into their own hands.
One Phoenix Suns fan has created a GoFundMe page with the sole purpose of raising money for Deandre Ayton's contract extension.
The Suns and Ayton failed to come to terms on an extension by the NBA's deadline on Monday. Without an agreement on a deal, Ayton will become a restricted free agent next summer.
But Sean McBride, the fan whose name the GoFundMe page is under, took it upon himself to secure the money in order to keep Ayton for additional years.
"Mr. Robert Sarver can't figure it out so it's in our hands," McBride wrote of the Suns owner in the fundraiser description. "There is no such thing as a Valley-Oop without DA [Deandre Ayton]. The guy lives and breathes AZ."
The goal of the fundraiser is $172,000,000 being is on par for what Ayton asked for — a maximum contract for five years between $172.5 million and $207 million.
McBride wrote that if they can't raise the millions of dollars an NBA player is accustomed to, then whatever money is given will go towards renting out a bar to watch the Suns home opener, which is tonight.
Unfortunately, despite all of McBride's hard work at fundraising, not a single penny has been donated to the cause while it's been online for a week.
So it looks like neither the contract extension nor the rented out bar will happen anytime soon.
The Suns will open the season against the Denver Nuggets at the Footprint Center at 7 p.m.
Sports
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12 News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!