Ayton to IND?

[OnFire]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/267889/Pacers-Could-Sign-Deandre-Ayton-As-Soon-As-Monday

Is this, finally, our big move for this offseason? You think he'll embrace it here? What happens to Myles? Dunno if I like this for IJax that much. Or is it just smokescreen to drum up interest for him?

Thoughts.

[Tom White]

I don't know. It is Windhorst saying it could happen as soon as today, but last week he said it could happen as soon as Thursday of last week. I'm just not a big believer in Windhorst, but we'll see.

[meridian]

I'm not on board with Ayton.

Here is a former #1 overall pick, averaging close to 20 and 10, and was a starter on a team that is one year removed from making the NBA finals. The Suns don't want him. From what I have read there are some questions about his work ethic and focus.

It's not like the Suns are only wanting say Kevin Durant over Ayton. They seem like they want to move on from Ayton period. That's very alarming.

If i'm handing out a max contract, or anything close to it, there can be zero questions about the work ethic. I don't care how talented the player is or what his stats are. The absolute last thing the Pacers should do is bring in a bad apple as they start the rebuild.

Setting aside any work ethic or off court concerns I also have concerns on the court. I don't think the position value is there to give Ayton a max contract. If he dominated the paint like a traditional big man and that's how the Pacers want to play then maybe the value could be there. I don't see the value in giving Ayton anywhere close to a max deal if you are going to play him 20 feet away from the basket. I know that's the trend but I don't think Ayton is worthy of a max deal 20 feet away from the basket.

So between the off court concerns and positional value I really don't want Ayton here.

[boomershadow]

I love it.

Sent from my SM-G970U using RealGM mobile app

[Grang33r]

I don't know. It is Windhorst saying it could happen as soon as today, but last week he said it could happen as soon as Thursday of last week. I'm just not a big believer in Windhorst, but we'll see.

There’s a lot of insiders who are saying it’s imminent though, not just Windhorst. Apparently Brogdon not taking a physical yet was the hurtle?

[Tom White]

There’s a lot of insiders who are saying it’s imminent though, not just Windhorst. Apparently Brogdon not taking a physical yet was the hurtle?

I've only seen it from Windhorst. Are we sure the other "insiders" aren't just picking up on his story and parroting it? I mean, if it were to happen, nobody wants to be the last to report it, right?

[Pacersike]

If this doesn't convince Simon, I don't what can. Short tanks of 1 or 2 seasons can be an extremely effective building strategy.

If the Pacers had traded Brogdon for a proven player, with likewise salary, you don't get opportunities like this, no matter the outcome of this. If the Pacers hadn't rested their "injured" players, likewise.

Hard to rebuild better, even if the deal falls through. Great job Pacers management!

[Tom White]

If the Pacers had traded Brogdon for a proven player, with likewise salary, you don't get opportunities like this,

I have to think, if a deal does happen, it would wind up being a sign & trade, sending Turner out. I can't imagine him and Ayton co-existing on the floor. Then you also have that Carlisle has already said Smith will be the starting PF.

[Grang33r]

There’s a lot of insiders who are saying it’s imminent though, not just Windhorst. Apparently Brogdon not taking a physical yet was the hurtle?

I've only seen it from Windhorst. Are we sure the other "insiders" aren't just picking up on his story and parroting it? I mean, if it were to happen, nobody wants to be the last to report it, right?

Sure that could always be the case. But i value reporters Zach Lowe and Marc Stein more then just guys who would try to steal from Windhorst report as their own. Essp Lowe who works with Windhorst.

But that said, it's Monday almost 6pm ET. And still nothing.

[Tom White]

Sure that could always be the case. But i value reporters Zach Lowe and Marc Stein more then just guys who would try to steal from Windhorst report as their own. Essp Lowe who works with Windhorst.

But that said, it's Monday almost 6pm ET. And still nothing.

Yeah, I had searched Lowe's postings and such. All I ever saw were bits about Durant, the Lakers and the like. Never saw anything about the Pacers.

As to the timing, it could be off due to Brogdon not having completed a physical in a more timely manner. I even made a joke in another thread about Brogdon being as slow off the court as he is on the court.

[Wizop]

I have to think, if a deal does happen, it would wind up being a sign & trade, sending Turner out. I can't imagine him and Ayton co-existing on the floor. Then you also have that Carlisle has already said Smith will be the starting PF.

and Herb has never wanted to "hurt" another owner.

[Pacers Forever]

Ayton’s stats are all similar yearly for his 4 years. Only exception is an improvement in shooting %. Could say that is good there’s no regression but not much improvement.

I don’t know the details of the playoff situation that happened between the Suns coach, players, and Ayton. Not sure if Ayton is to blame or if it’s not a red flag.

So I’m ok with Ayton coming aboard stat wise. I’m not sure I understand how Carlisle will use him because of his not wanting point Center Sabonis and his lackluster usage of Turner. What I’m not thrilled about is maxing out the Center position financially.

Personally I would rather spend more salary on the other 4 positions with of course stud players which is what a lot of teams do currently. Just not sure we can. We have the long process of having to draft studs as they don’t want to sign with a small market team.

So if Carlisle thinks this is a better idea than Turner so be it. If it’s about Turner not wanting to extend here then it’s probably good to have a functional option.

[Grang33r]

Yeah, I had searched Lowe's postings and such. All I ever saw were bits about Durant, the Lakers and the like. Never saw anything about the Pacers.

He said it in a recent podcast.

Read on Twitter

?s=21&t=ZWGCDYJuuRs1hIq0cc0MBw

[Grang33r]

Article about Ayton’s fit with the Pacers:

Why Deandre Ayton would be a seamless fit for the young Pacers

As the NBA offseason marketplace has come to a halt due to the ongoing Kevin Durant saga (which directly ties into the Phoenix Suns), Deandre Ayton’s status is finally beginning to clear up.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, there is mutual interest between Ayton and the Indiana Pacers. Windhorst also relayed on Monday that Indiana has met with Ayton as talks progress towards either an outright offer sheet or a sign-and-trade scenario involving Phoenix. Regarding the sign-and-trade route, Myles Turner would presumably head back to the Suns, potentially with a draft pick attached as well.

Some may wonder why exactly the rebuilding Pacers and Ayton would seek each other out through this muddied restricted free agent process. However, the more you dive into the potential fit for both Ayton and Indiana, it feels like the perfect opportunity to strike on a rare opportunity for the organization.

Link- https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-deandre-ayton-would-be-a-worthy-gamble-for-indiana-pacers-tyrese-haliburton-phoenix-suns

[lilfishi22]

I'm not on board with Ayton.

Here is a former #1 overall pick, averaging close to 20 and 10, and was a starter on a team that is one year removed from making the NBA finals. The Suns don't want him. From what I have read there are some questions about his work ethic and focus.

It's not like the Suns are only wanting say Kevin Durant over Ayton. They seem like they want to move on from Ayton period. That's very alarming.

If i'm handing out a max contract, or anything close to it, there can be zero questions about the work ethic. I don't care how talented the player is or what his stats are. The absolute last thing the Pacers should do is bring in a bad apple as they start the rebuild.

Setting aside any work ethic or off court concerns I also have concerns on the court. I don't think the position value is there to give Ayton a max contract. If he dominated the paint like a traditional big man and that's how the Pacers want to play then maybe the value could be there. I don't see the value in giving Ayton anywhere close to a max deal if you are going to play him 20 feet away from the basket. I know that's the trend but I don't think Ayton is worthy of a max deal 20 feet away from the basket.

So between the off court concerns and positional value I really don't want Ayton here.

I'll give some context from a Suns' fan perspective and I'll try my very best to be as objective and unbiased as I can but for full disclosure, I wasn't on board with the pick in the first place in 2018 and it took a while for me to get comfortable with the idea of us not taking Luka and drafting DA instead. That said, winning definitely helped the last couple of seasons.

So when it comes to work ethic, I think in general, he works hard, team mates love the guy, he can be a little goofy (Dwight-lite, maybe?) but it's good for the locker room. One of his biggest tests was when we brought in a no-nonsense leader in CP3. There were reports that he had a tough few months because he was often the subject of CP3's teachings/criticisms on and off the court and not everyone takes on criticism well however it's been relatively smooth sailing since. The other time his work ethic was questioned was during a pretty pivotal period of the playoffs when that ESPN article came out about how he couldn't live without video games. Gaming itself is not a big deal but it was the part about how he would regularly get 2hrs of sleep because he's gaming until 4-5am which made a good amount of fans question whether he's really all about getting himself to that next level. Then even before he played a game in the NBA, what caused a bit of controversy was when he was asked what his goal in the NBA was and he said something along the line of getting his second contract. That's really the extent his worth ethic being questioned. Some fans take it further, others don't think much of it. But I think you hit the nail on the head with the bolded text, the question is whether his level of work ethic (which is fine) is enough to propel him to that of a perennial all-star or whether he's content with being paid and just putting up good numbers because that's how you separate faux stars with real stars. I do think this is one area where our GM James Jones has some real reservations which may be the crux of why we didn't give him the full max last offseason after the Finals run even though I'm sure there were pressure from the fan base and the media to pay the guy.

As for the focus, that might be the more evident of the two because he's so talented he could easily average 20/10 on most nights without killing himself out there but the guy is just inconsistent. Some fans think the way we use him or the way CP3/Book controls possessions may not be ideal for the way DA wants to play but the big issue is game in, game out, you just don't know which DA you're going to get. Sometimes he has games where he just doesn't seem to have any impact on the game, he's disengaged and you wonder how a guy that big and talented could look so invisible and other times he looks like he should be in the same league as the Embiids, KATs and Bam's in terms of overall impact (both ends of the court). The guy wants touches but he can't really create consistently. He's got like 3 moves, an elite hook shoot, a spot up mid range jumper and occasionally he can back down a defender. He doesn't have a reliable handle so he's reliant on offensive rebounds, lobs and basically shots set up by the offense to score. He scores well but he is highly reliant on others at this point in time. The way the Suns play, we run everything through CP3/Book (as we should) but that's not necessarily conducive to DA getting a consistent 15-18FGA and that certainly has been brought up as the source of his wayward focus.

The final question to ask I think is whether the bridge between DA and the Suns is already burnt or whether any sort of potential rift between the two parties is completely blown out of proportion by the media. I personally don't think he would be opposed to a change of scenery, especially one where there aren't two perennial all-stars who are controlling the majority of possessions but I also think we should absolutely match a max or near max offer for him.

[Wizop]

Watch on YouTube

[Wizop]

there is another podcast on youtube with Tony East and a PHX guy discussing the issues. I turned it off in the middle. I'm just over following this story and will just let it play out. I still hope we do nothing but it looks like that's a forlorn hope.

[NapoleonII]

I hope you all get him because honestly the Suns don't deserve him.

He's done everything that's asked of him, sacrificed his stats, shows up big whenever Paul or Booker are out.

Booker and Paul are not perfect players. Their selfishness rears its ugly head when the going gets tough, when playoff battles get mucked up.

Ayton can average 25/11 on elite efficiency.

And sure, he doesn't bang, but neither does AD.

[granger05]

In one of these Ayton topics somewhere, somebody mentioned wanting to be a fly on the wall during these negotiations and I can get with that. I don't understand why things are so drawn out and these same rumors keep recycling around the Pacers doing something. Honestly, this is effecting my work productivity so I just want some resolution.

[Pacers Forever]

In one of these Ayton topics somewhere, somebody mentioned wanting to be a fly on the wall during these negotiations and I can get with that. I don't understand why things are so drawn out and these same rumors keep recycling around the Pacers doing something. Honestly, this is effecting my work productivity so I just want some resolution.

Ha It’s something like this.

KP to Suns : Brogdon deal finally done let’s do this

Suns to Pacers : Wait I’ve got Brooklyn on the other line.

Brooklyn: Eh what’s up Doc ! Somebody offer us more than Durant’s worth ! We’ve got all summer.

Media: it’s happening today and if not today then tomorrow or the next day

LA media : Westbrook to Pacers for Turner and Buddy it’s so fair everyone