Why Kevin Durant isn't likely to land in Phoenix after Suns matched offer for Deandre Ayton

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant reportedly has Phoenix atop his list of preferred destinations in a potential trade, but the Suns' major decision on center Deandre Ayton has seemingly removed them from contention.
The Indiana Pacers offered Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick and a restricted free agent entering the summer, a max offer sheet of $133 million over four years.
The move put the Suns on a 48-hour clock to decide whether to match or let Ayton walk – and Phoenix has decided to keep Ayton in a lineup that has won 115 regular-season games over the last two seasons.
With Phoenix now unable to trade Ayton without his blessing, their lead asset in all proposed Durant trades is now off the table.
By matching the offer, the Suns can't trade Ayton to Indiana and Ayton has veto power on a trade to the remaining 28 teams for a year, according to the Arizona Republic.
The Suns can't trade him until Jan. 15.
The Suns and Ayton's representatives were unable to agree to a max rookie extension of five years, $172 million – or any extension at all – for Ayton before the 2021-22 season.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Suns probably don't have the assets to be competitive for a Durant trade. Wojnarowski said, "Devin Booker, who I think that the Suns have no interest in trading, he can't be traded anyway for a full year because of his new contract extension. Ultimately the Suns are probably left short of what it would take to pry Kevin Durant out of Brooklyn."