It’s been almost 11 full days since the NBA’s free agent period opened in 2022 and the Suns ’restricted free agent center, Deandre Ayton, still doesn’t have a new deal. However, this is likely to change soon.
Sources told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic over the weekend that the Pacers are “seriously” interested in Ayton. Indiana’s interest in the former No. 1 general team has been reported repeatedly in recent weeks, but it should be noted that the team’s interest has not waned: the Pacers are one of two teams in the NBA (along with the Spurs) who have the maximum flexibility needed to make Ayton a major offer.
According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), there is “great interest” among league experts in Las Vegas over whether the Pacers will go ahead with what Stein refers to as a “widely expected” bid sheet for Ayton . Appearing Monday on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), Brian Windhorst also expressed belief that Indiana is about to do a play for the young center.
“We think the Indiana Pacers are very close to giving Deandre Ayton an offer sheet or executing a sign and a trade,” Windhorst said. “The Pacers had to do business over the weekend and complete Malcolm Brogdon’s trade. This is now about to happen and this is opening up enough space for the cover to almost give Deandre Ayton the maximum contract he is looking for. We could already see something with the Pacers and Ayton today. “
As James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star writes, while the Pacers and Celtics announced their change on Saturday, Brogdon has yet to overcome his physique before the deal is officially irreversible. At this time, Indiana will have approximately $ 26.4 million in the cover room.
Ayton’s maximum salary is about $ 30.9 million, so Indiana would have to give up and stretch several players or change someone to open a maximum salary slot. The team could also present Ayton with an offer sheet a little below the maximum, but it’s unclear if he would be willing to sign that offer. And, of course, the lower the starting salary on a bid sheet, the more likely the Suns will be to match it.
A signing and trade deal in which Indiana sends one or two players could get everyone what they want: Ayton could get his maximum salary, the Pacers could get his man without having to worry about a sheet of paper. ‘offer, and the Suns could avoid losing their first selection for nothing. Myles Turner would be the most obvious commercial candidate in this scenario.
However, signing and exchanging Ayton with Indiana would deprive Phoenix of one of its main assets for a possible Kevin Durant trade, so the Suns will likely push a tough deal with the Pacers, knowing that if they do not receive a signal. .and the commercial offer they like, they could simply match any Ayton sign offer sheet.
Still, maybe this isn’t an ideal outcome for the Suns, who are said to be unenthusiastic about paying maximum money to Ayton. Also, if they matched an offer sheet, the Suns could not change Ayton until Jan. 15, and even then, any deal this season would require their consent.
With so many variables at stake, each party involved will have to weigh their options carefully before moving on. But it looks like we could act on Ayton’s front sooner rather than later.