Pacers Rumors

Jazz, Knicks, Pacers Have Talked To Lakers About Westbrook

July 25th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz, Knicks, and Pacers are among the teams that have spoken to the Lakers about possible trades involving point guard Russell Westbrook and draft assets, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Lakers don’t appear to be close to making a deal with any of those teams, according to Charania, who notes that Westbrook trade talks could continue to take place over the remaining couple months of the offseason.

Because the cap hit on Westbrook’s expiring contract is so substantial ($47MM+), any team that acquires him would almost certainly have to send out at least two sizable contracts of its own. And since few teams can put together a package to match Westbrook’s salary without including at least one productive rotation player, potential trade partners are asking the Lakers for draft compensation in return for taking on Westbrook, who is coming off a disappointing year in Los Angeles.

The Lakers and Pacers have reportedly spoken about Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, but L.A. has been unwilling to meet Indiana’s asking price, which is believed to be two first-round picks. According to Bob Kravitz of The Athletic, the Lakers offered Westbrook, one first-rounder, and two second-round selections for Hield and Turner.

While they continue to gauge Donovan Mitchell‘s value on the trade market, the Jazz could offer some combination of veterans like Mike Conley ($22.68MM), Bojan Bogdanovic ($19.55MM), Jordan Clarkson ($13.34MM), and Rudy Gay ($6.18MM) in a deal for Westbrook and draft picks. Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley are also potential Utah trade candidates who have eight-figure cap hits, though neither can be aggregated in a trade until September 6.

The Knicks’ possible high-priced trade candidates, meanwhile, include Julius Randle ($23.76MM), Evan Fournier ($18MM), Derrick Rose ($14.52MM), and Cam Reddish ($5.95MM), though the team would be more willing to move some of those players than others, and wouldn’t want to compromise its pursuit of Mitchell by jumping the gun on a separate deal involving Westbrook.

Marc Stein previously reported that Utah and New York were both considered by league executives to be possible landing spots for Westbrook. However, Stein suggested that the Jazz and Knicks were probably only viable trade partners for the Lakers if a Mitchell trade got done first — especially if Mitchell ended up in New York.

The thinking among those execs, Stein explained, is that the Knicks may look to move Randle and his long-term contract if they acquire Mitchell. The Jazz, on the other hand, would presumably be pivoting to a full-scale rebuild and would be open to trading more veterans for draft assets and cap flexibility if Mitchell is no longer on their roster.

It’s unclear if any of the Jazz, Knicks, or Pacers would keep Westbrook on their roster if they were to acquire him, or if they’d simply buy him out. Draft picks and/or future cap room would be the main motivators for any team trading for Westbrook.

Wizards Notes: Gibson, Brogdon, Hachimura, Kispert

July 23rd, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are coming off a disappointing season, but Taj Gibson believes his new team has the talent to contend for a playoff spot, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Gibson’s assessment of the roster is one of the reasons he made the decision to join the Wizards after being waived by the Knicks.

“I’ve seen they have a young and talented team,” Gibson said. “It’s a sleeper team and I just want to be a part of something special. The NBA is full of ups and downs, but I wanted to go to a place where I can just put my veteran mentorship and whatever I can to add to the team.”

The 37-year-old projects to be the third-string center behind Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford. His role may expand if there are injuries or Porzingis sees some time at power forward, but Gibson has proven he can be productive in limited minutes.

“They have so many talented guys,” he said of the Wizards. “I’m just a fan of all of them. I’m just lucky enough to be able to say I can go into the gym and get better with these guys, build a bond with these guys. That’s my whole goal.”

There’s more from Washington:

Malcolm Brogdon was ultimately traded to the Celtics, but he said on a recent edition of The Woj Pod that he expected to be dealt to the Wizards on draft night (hat tip to Bijan Todd of NBC Washington). “I thought it was going to be Washington,” Brogdon told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “I heard the Pacers loved the idea of having that 10th pick and having two picks in the lottery and I knew Washington needed a good veteran point guard to pair with Brad Beal. I knew I fit his timeline and knew that everything fit.” The Wizards were heavily linked in trade rumors to Brogdon, who has ties to the D.C. area after playing college basketball at Virginia.
The Wizards used Summer League to focus on talent from their G League team, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Seven players on the Las Vegas roster spent time with the Capital City Go-Go last season. “We want to become the Miamis, the Golden States, the Oklahoma Citys — the teams that bring these guys in at the G League level and then they see a pathway to the NBA,” Go-Go general manager Amber Nichols said. “You’ve got to cultivate them in your own system, in your own house.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few believes his former players Rui Hachimura and Corey Kispert have a bright future ahead after overcoming difficulties last season, Hughes adds in a separate story.

Contract Details: K. Williams, J. Green, Nembhard, Minott, Rivers

July 23rd, 2022 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Kenrich Williams‘ new four-year extension with the Thunder came in at a total value of $27,170,000, Hoops Rumors has learned. Williams will earn $6,175,000 in 2023/24 when the extension goes into effect, then $6,669,000 in ’24/25. His final two years are each worth $7,163,000, with a team option on the ’26/27 season.

In other Thunder cap news, JaMychal Green gave up $2,628,597 in his buyout agreement with the team. As our chart of minimum salaries shows, that’s the exact amount an eight-year veteran like Green would earn on a minimum contract, which is what he’ll reportedly sign with Golden State.

Here are a few more salary notes from around the NBA:

The Pacers took advantage of their cap room by giving second-round pick Andrew Nembhard a contract with a declining structure. His four-year deal begins at $2,244,111 this season, then dips to $2,131,905 in 2023/24 and $2,019,699 in ’24/25 before increasing to the ’25/26 minimum of $2,187,451. The first three years are guaranteed, while the fourth is a team option.
The Timberwolves used a portion of their mid-level exception to sign second-rounder Josh Minott to a four-year, minimum-salary contract. It’s fully guaranteed for the first two years and non-guaranteed for the last two. Minott’s third-year salary would become guaranteed if he’s not waived by June 28, 2024, and the fourth year is a team option. Minnesota now only has about $692K left on its mid-level exception, which could potentially be used very late in the season to sign a player to a three- or four-year minimum-salary deal.
The Timberwolves‘ minimum-salary contract with Austin Rivers is only partially guaranteed for $650K. It would become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through the league-wide salary guarantee date in January.

Andrew Nembhard Signs Four-Year Deal With Pacers

July 22nd, 2022 at 3:03pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 22: The Pacers have officially signed Nembhard, the team announced today in a press release.

“I’m excited to get my career and rookie season started with the Pacers,” Nembhard said in a statement. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a first-class organization and I can’t wait to play in front of the league’s best fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this year!”

JULY 20: The Pacers are signing second-rounder Andrew Nembhard to a four-year, $8.6MM deal, his agents Jaafar Choufani and Todd Ramasar tell ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). Nembhard’s deal includes $6.4MM in guaranteed money over the first three years, which is the most ever for a second-round pick who attended college, Givony reports.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (via Twitter), the 22-year-old will receive more guaranteed money than several first-round picks, whose contracts are only guaranteed for the first two seasons (years three and four being team options), though that is slightly misleading because Nembhard’s guarantee is spread out over three years instead of two.

Indiana has a team option on the fourth year of the deal, the 2025/26 season, sources tell Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. The signing will be completed using a small portion of the Pacers’ cap room.

After a strong showing at the draft combine, Nembhard shot up draft boards, going from a possible late second-rounder to a borderline first-round selection. He was ultimately taken with the first pick of the second round, 31st overall.

The 6’5″ guard spent four years in college, the first two with Florida and then the final two with Gonzaga after transferring before his junior season. In 32 games (32.2 MPG) with the Bulldogs last season, Nembhard averaged 11.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.8 APG and 1.6 SPG on .452/.383/.873 shooting. He also posted a very solid assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.97-to-1, a strong benchmark for a lead ball-handler.

Once Nembhard’s deal is official, the Pacers will still have one draft pick who is unsigned — Kendall Brown, the 48th selection. The Pacers have an opening on the 15-man roster and both two-way spots available, so either might be a possibility for the athletic forward out of Baylor.

Trade Rumors: Lakers, Pacers, Vanderbilt, Durant, Knicks

July 22nd, 2022 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Talks between the Lakers and Pacers about a trade that would include Russell Westbrook, Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, and other assets are currently dead, a source tells Bob Kravitz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kravitz adds that those discussions could reignite if the Lakers add another first-round pick to their offer, but he says they’re currently at a standstill.

Kravitz’s wording suggests L.A. is only willing to attach one of its two tradable first-rounders (2027 and 2029) to Westbrook in exchange for Hield and Turner, so it’s not surprising that the Pacers aren’t interested.

As we noted earlier this week, if the Lakers want to try to acquire just one of Hield or Turner, there are ways to construct a deal using Talen Horton-Tucker ($10.26MM) and Kendrick Nunn ($5.25MM) instead of Westbrook’s $47MM expiring deal for outgoing salary purposes. But acquiring both Pacers veterans would mean including Westbrook and would require a substantial package of draft assets.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who suggested last week that Jarred Vanderbilt is drawing trade interest, said on the latest episode of his podcast that “a lot of teams” have called the Jazz about the 23-year-old forward. “I don’t know the number. I don’t really have any specific teams that I’ve heard of,” Fischer said, per HoopsHype. “But last I (heard), he was the guy who’s getting the most calls, the most incoming calls of all the (Jazz) players.”
Given that no team is willing to meet the Nets‘ sky-high asking price for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today on Thursday (video link) that he’s waiting for one of two things to happen: Brooklyn to lower that asking price, or Durant to be pulled off the trade market. There has been no indication that either one of those moves is imminent, Windhorst adds.
As the Knicks pursue a possible Donovan Mitchell deal, it’s important that they consider what pieces would be left over, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Besides not wanting to sacrifice too many players who could play alongside Mitchell, the Knicks will also want to retain enough assets to potentially be able to trade for another star within a couple years, since Mitchell alone wouldn’t make them a title contender, Katz says.

Central Notes: I. Mobley, Pistons, Haliburton, Pacers

July 21st, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Cavaliers rookie two-way player Isaiah Mobley, older brother to 2022 All-Rookie Cleveland center Evan Mobley, enjoyed an impressive Summer League turn. Now, the Cleveland front office is optimistic that the elder Mobley can make an impact on the team’s regular season roster as well, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. He finished his first Summer League experience with a 15-point, 10-rebound game against the Hawks.

The Cavaliers, who finished with their first winning record in four years during the 2021/22 season, drafted the 22-year-old power forward out of USC with the No. 49 pick last month and signed him to a two-way contract. Despite an inconsistent jumper, Mobley was able to aid the Cavaliers’ Summer League roster on the court through playmaking in short stints, grabbing boards, and blocking opponents on defense.

“I mean, he’s comfortable with the ball in his hands,” Summer League head coach Mike Gerrity, an assistant under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff during the regular season, said of Mobley. “So we’re trying to put it in his hands at times to allow him to make the plays. And I think when him and [first-round lottery pick] Ochai [Agbaji] are coming into the dribble-handoff, it’s a really lethal combination, especially out here in summer league. And so, he’s growing, and he’s learning, just like the rest of these guys. But just his decision-making, his ability to make passes, make the right reads, and he’s an unselfish player.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

After spending the past three seasons languishing with lottery-bound young rosters, the Pistons‘ front office is buzzing about the team’s exciting core, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Detroit’s two 2022 lottery picks, shooting guard Jaden Ivey and center Jalen Duren, both flashed plenty of promise in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League showcase. “I think we hit a home run,” a team source expressed to Collier. “We positioned ourselves well and [general manager] Troy [Weaver] did a great job of putting guys together on the same timeline… We’ll probably have the youngest team in the league next year, or one of [them], so we have to be careful not to put too much pressure or set expectations. We’ve got great chemistry, and I think we’re going to be in position to make a big jump in wins.” The Pistons project Ivey, the fifth pick out of Purdue, as an ideal backcourt fit alongside 2022 All-Rookie First Team point guard Cade Cunningham.
Despite the fact that the Suns wound up matching the Pacers‘ maximum offer sheet to Phoenix center Deandre Ayton, Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton appreciated his club’s willingness to pony up the dough for such a high-level player, as he told Alex Golden and Mike Facci in a recent episode of the podcast Setting The Pace (hat tip to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star for the transcription). “Our front office is aggressive to want to get back in the playoffs,” Haliburton said. “They’re aggressive to compete for championships, as they should be, as any organization should be. And obviously they offered DA that deal and he accepted it. I think it would’ve been beneficial because he’s a great player, but Phoenix obviously matched as they probably should and you just kind of move on from it.”
The revamped Pacers will boast a young roster with high upside heading into the 2022/23 season. In another piece (subscriber link), Boyd takes a look at the team’s current personnel, speculating about potential starters and the bench rotation. Boyd also notes that current projected veteran starters Buddy Hield and Myles Turner could be traded before the 2023 deadline.

Lakers, Pacers Reengage In Buddy Hield Trade Talks

July 20th, 2022 at 5:21pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers and Pacers have reengaged in trade talks centered around Indiana sharpshooter Buddy Hield, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Today (video link).

The Lakers, of course, nearly traded for Hield last summer, but instead pivoted to acquire Russell Westbrook, so the deal fell apart. However, Hield has been linked to L.A. numerous times over the past month, with reports indicating that general manager Rob Pelinka continues to express interest in the veteran guard, who was Pelinka’s former client when he was an agent.

McMenamin doesn’t specify whether the recent talks involved Westbrook this time around or not, noting that it’s possible that Talen Horton-Tucker could have been dangled by the Lakers instead. Hield’s declining contract structure — he made $23MM last season but $21.2MM in 2022/23 — makes it easier for the Lakers to match his incoming salary without including Westbrook.

Hield, 29, appeared in 81 games last season (32 starts, 30.9 MPG) split between the Kings and Pacers, averaging a combined 15.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.8 APG on .406/.366/.874 shooting. He was dealt to the Pacers as part of the trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana and Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento.

Hield has been a poor defensive player his entire career, but his best skill is something that’s always in demand — he’s a high-volume three-point shooter who has converted 39.8% of his career attempts behind the arc, and the Lakers struggled in that department last season, ranking 22nd in the league in three-point percentage. By contrast, Westbrook shot just 29.8% from deep last season, and Horton-Tucker was even worse at 26.9%.

McMenamin, like his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst, reiterates that there’s “no traction” on a Westbrook/Kyrie Irving swap between the Lakers and Nets.

Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Playoffs

July 19th, 2022 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The play-in tournament, which has been adopted as an every-season fixture, means that only 10 of 30 NBA teams won’t get at least a taste of the postseason from year to year.

Last season, the Knicks, Wizards, Pacers, Pistons and Magic were the five Eastern Conference teams who failed to qualify.

All of those teams, via some combination of the draft, free agency and trades, have made numerous roster moves this summer in an effort to improve their stock.

Let’s take a quick look at each of those clubs’ major moves, focusing on acquisitions beyond re-signing their own free agents:

Knicks – They made a big splash by dumping salary in order to sign one of the top free agents on the board, Mavs guard Jalen Brunson. They also upgraded their frontcourt by nabbing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Of course, they are considered the favorites to acquire Donovan Mitchell if Utah deals the All-Star guard.
Wizards – They were intent on upgrading their point guard position and did so by trading for Monte Morris from Denver and signing free agent Delon Wright. Small forward Will Barton was also acquired from the Nuggets. They also added high-scoring guard Johnny Davis with their lottery pick.
Pacers – The went all-out to sign All-Star caliber center Deandre Ayton and came up short, as the Suns matched their offer sheet. They did add a very promising wing, Bennedict Mathurin, in the lottery. They also added guard Andrew Nembhard with the first pick of the second round. Guard Aaron Nesmith and center Daniel Theis were acquired in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston.
Pistons – Thanks to a draft-night swap, Detroit ended up with two lottery selections. The Pistons selected point guard Jaden Ivey with their own pick to pair up in the backcourt with last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Cade Cunningham. A three-way trade gave them the rights to center Jalen Duren. They also added guard Alec Burks and big man Nerlens Noel via the Knicks’ salary-dumping maneuvers.
Magic – Other then re-signing Mohamed Bamba and Gary Harris, the Magic have been relatively quiet on the free agent market. However, they had the No. 1 overall selection in a loaded lottery and used it on Duke forward Paolo Banchero, giving them a dynamic forward combo alongside last year’s lottery pick, Franz Wagner.

That brings us to our question of the day: Which Eastern Conference team that failed to reach the postseason this spring – Knicks, Wizards, Pacers, Pistons, Magic – has the best chance to qualify for next year’s playoffs?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Suns GM Jones On Ayton: “We Wanted Deandre Here”

July 19th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Suns never offered center Deandre Ayton the five-year maximum-salary deal he originally sought, they told him throughout his free agency that they intended to match any offer sheet he signed with another team, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.

The Suns made good on that promise, immediately matching Ayton’s offer sheet once they received it from the Pacers. In a phone conversation with Spears, Suns general manager James Jones said the team felt it was “critical” not to waste any time making that move.

“We wanted Deandre here,” Jones said. “He’s vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. And throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours, that wasn’t something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.

“I’m one to just be direct. And if you’re convicted, if you know what you want to do, you do it. But if there’s any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly.”

While Jones insists that Phoenix was “where (Ayton) wanted to be,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski hears from sources that the former No. 1 overall pick was intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with Tyrese Haliburton and becoming a core player in Indiana. Speaking to Spears, Ayton indicated he was happy to be back with his former team, but also praised the club he nearly joined for how it handled the restricted free agency process.

“I got to give a lot of respect to the Pacers organization. They were aggressive from the start and showing a lot of love. And we agreed to a max offer sheet. The Suns matched. Now, I’m back in Phoenix as a Sun,” Ayton said, adding that his new contract will have a “generational impact” on his family and on the community work he can do in Phoenix and in the Bahamas, his home country.

There was plenty of chatter earlier in the offseason about the possibility of Ayton leaving Phoenix, but the Suns never showed a willingness to discuss a sign-and-trade deal with the Pacers, despite Indiana’s interest in doing so, according to ESPN.

Ayton’s final 2021/22 appearance played a part in the speculation about his offseason departure — he logged a playoff-low 17 minutes in a blowout Game 7 loss to Dallas in the Western Conference Semifinals, and was seen jawing with head coach Monty Williams on the sidelines.

However, the two men downplayed that incident in their respective interviews with Spears. Williams referred to it as a “bad day,” while Ayton said it was “in the past,” adding that he and his coach are on good terms.

“Game 7 was an anomaly,” Ayton said. “We let that get away from us as a team. That is all in the past. We’re going to look forward. We are going to move on.”

Suns Re-Sign Deandre Ayton After Matching Pacers’ Offer Sheet

July 18th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 18: The Suns have officially re-signed Ayton, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets via a team press release.

“Deandre is a force at both ends of the floor, who has elevated his game every year and will continue to do so,” GM James Jones said in a statement. “DA is so important to what we do and without him we could not have reached our recent levels of success.”

JULY 14, 7:28pm: The Suns have indeed opted to match the Pacers’ offer sheet for Ayton, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Ayton’s four-year deal is fully guaranteed, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (YouTube video link).

As detailed below, Ayton is now ineligible to be traded until January 15, and will possess veto power over any trade after that until next July.

With the new Ayton deal on their books, the Suns are facing a projected $32MM tax penalty for the 2022/23 season, per Marks (via Twitter).

7:10pm: Ayton has now signed his offer sheet with the Pacers, starting the clock for the Suns to match, Woj reports (via Twitter).

2:54pm: The Suns haven’t shown any inclination to work out a sign-and-trade with Indiana for Ayton, but they are expected to match the offer sheet once Ayton signs it, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

2:02pm: The Pacers are signing restricted free agent Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $133MM offer sheet, his agents Nima Namakian and Bill Duffy tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Once Ayton inks the deal, the Suns will have 48 hours to match the largest offer sheet in league history, Wojnarowski adds. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that Phoenix technically has until 11:59pm ET on Saturday to match the deal.

Sign-and-trades are not permissible once an offer sheet has been signed, so a potential swap for Pacers center Myles Turner is off the table once Ayton signs the deal. As Marks notes, if the Suns match the offer sheet, Ayton will have the ability to veto any trade starting January 15, which is when he’d be trade-eligible. He also cannot be traded to Indiana for a year.

However, in a follow-up tweet, Marks says that because Ayton hasn’t put pen to paper yet, the Suns and Pacers have until midnight ET to work out a possible sign-and-trade that might be mutually beneficial. What Indiana might get out of that arrangement is unclear.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reports (Twitter links) that Ayton’s agents had been waiting for the right moment when they thought the Suns wouldn’t match an offer. The Pacers have no interest in a sign-and-trade, according to Gambadoro, who says Indiana knows the Suns don’t want to give Ayton — or any other center — a max deal.

According to Wojnarowski, the Suns never made Ayton a formal offer in free agency. Ayton’s agents told the team they’d be able to find a max offer, and now the Pacers are putting the Suns to the test.

As Marks observes (via Twitter), the Pacers technically can’t sign Ayton without making moves to clear additional cap space. They need to clear another $4.7MM to reach Ayton’s first-year starting salary of $30.9MM in 2022/23, so more maneuvers are imminent.

Marks noted in a recent appearance on 107.5 The Fan that the Pacers have multiple pathways to clear the needed cap space, as James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star relayed. Once those moves are made, they cannot be reversed if Phoenix decides to match.

Ayton, who turns 24 on July 23, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft. In 58 games last season (29.5 MPG), the 6’11” center averaged 17.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG while shooting 63.4% from the floor and 74.6% from the line.

Ayton holds career averages of 16.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 236 regular season games (30.7 MPG). He was a key component of the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in ’20/21, averaging 15.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 22 postseason games (36.4 MPG).

An excellent finisher around the basket with a soft touch, Ayton has developed into a very solid defensive player over the past couple of years, anchoring Phoenix’s third-ranked defense last season. However, some have been critical about his shortcomings, mainly that he doesn’t get to the free throw line much despite a muscular frame.

The Pacers have been repeatedly linked to Ayton over the past several weeks, and clearly that interest did not wane.

If the Suns match, they project to be a taxpaying team, something owner Robert Sarver has consistently avoided during his tenure. If they don’t, Myles Turner seems very likely to be headed out of Indiana.

It also complicates Phoenix’s pursuit of Kevin Durant, since the Suns will lose Ayton as a possible trade chip. Even if they match the offer, as was previously noted, Ayton can’t be traded until January 15 and can veto any deal for a full year.

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