Gustavo Ayon would certainly like to play in the NBA, but European teams are making an offer he cannot refuse.
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Competing for Mexico’s national team in the FIBA World Cup, Ayon finished with 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting and eight rebounds, two steals and a block in Mexico’s 86-63 loss to Team USA. He was the only bright spot for an outmatched Mexico team, and his performance may draw more interest from teams in the States.
Marc Stein of ESPN reports that teams have offered Ayon, but that offers overseas have simply been more lucrative.
ESPN sources say Gustavo Ayon certainly prefers to play in NBA next season but at this point his offers from Europe have simply been richer
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 6, 2014
Ayon has been handful for USA bigs even though they're obviously zeroing in on him. Yet I suspect he'll pass on NBA unless offers improve
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 6, 2014
Ayon most recently played for the Atlanta Hawks. Before that, he had brief stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets. His contracts have been in the neighborhood of $1.5 million at each stop since coming over from Europe and signing with New Orleans for the 2011 season.
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Unless he gets a more substantial offer, it seems Ayon will return to European play.
The San Antonio Spurs recently showed interest in Ayon, but nothing has come of it just yet. We know how San Antonio feels about international guys, so he would be a good fit.
Ayon has dealt with some injuries and never has shown enough on the court to stick to a roster. However in significant minutes with Mexico, he has shown versatility on offense and solid rebounding and defensive skills.
Looking at his per 36 numbers, Ayon is actually somewhat impressive, averaging 10.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per basketball-reference.com.
We’ll see if the Spurs or another team decide to give Ayon another shot in the NBA, but until then he’ll take the money and run overseas.