Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game on March 24, 2022, in Denver. (DAVID ZALUBOWSKI, FILE / AP)

Deandre Ayton signed a long-term contract on Monday to stay with the Phoenix Suns, locking in the star center who helped the franchise reach last year's NBA Finals.

The Bahamas big man, who turns 24 on Saturday, reportedly inked a four-year maximum contract worth $133 million.

Ayton was chosen by the Suns with the first overall pick of the 2018 draft.

Over his first four NBA seasons, Ayton has career averages of 16.3 points on 59.9 percent shooting from the floor plus 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots a game.

Ayton says he gained generational wealth that can help his family and many others after signing the contract.

But there was also a business lesson involved, too, for the young center as the contract initially came via a matched offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers.

The Suns could have offered Ayton a five-year deal paying $179.6 million on July 1, but did not. Instead, the "anxious "restricted free agent signed the four-year, $133 million max offer sheet with the Pacers on July 12.The Suns had until 11:59 ET on July 14 to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history, but ended up matching it as soon as they received it.

"This is a blessing," Ayton told ESPN's Andscape in a phone conversation after signing his contract. "This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. That is the things that we go by...

"I've come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. I just treated everything like a business. Just keep being professional, approach everything with professionalism and not looking too deep into it."

Phoenix general manager James Jones said Ayton's stay is important to the team's future success.

"Deandre is a force on both ends of the floor who has elevated his game every year and will continue to do so," Suns general manager James Jones said.

"DA is so important to what we do and without him we could not have reached our recent levels of success. We are excited to keep Deandre at home in the Valley where he belongs."

Ayton averaged 17.2 points on a career-high and franchise-record 63.4 percent shooting plus 10.2 rebounds this past season for the Suns, who were upset by Dallas in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

He recorded both his 3,000th career point and his 2,000th career rebound this past season, becoming the second-fastest player to reach these milestones in a Suns uniform, behind only Charles Barkley.

"I'm happy to put free agency behind me and ready to work and compete for a championship with my teammates," Ayton said.

Ayton joined Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players to average a double-double on at least 57 percent shooting through four career seasons.

He was pivotal in Phoenix's run to the 2021 NBA Finals, where the Suns were beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks.