On a Tuesday appearance on 107.5 The Fan, ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed a couple ways the Pacers can create enough cap space to sign Suns center Deandre Ayton, the top restricted free agent on the market, to a maximum-salary offer sheet. Indiana is currently about $26.4MM under the cap, but needs to get to $31MM to sign Ayton to a max deal.
“You’d have to waive a (non-guaranteed) player like Duane Washington Jr. and then you’d have to either make a trade or you would have to use the waive and stretch provision on a couple players, maybe the couple players you got in the Celtics trade,” Marks said, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “The challenge becomes if Phoenix matches (an offer sheet for Ayton), you can’t go back and take back those waivers. So you run the risk of losing three players to waivers on an offer sheet that likely would get matched.”
Marks believes the Suns would match the deal so they wouldn’t lose Ayton for nothing, even though he wouldn’t be trade-eligible for several months. As Boyd details, the three players Marks was referring to that came from the Celtics are Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas and Malik Fitts.
Boyd says Goga Bitadze might be a player the Pacers could deal away to give Ayton the offer sheet — Bitadze will make $4.765MM next season. However, as Boyd points out, the Pacers haven’t signed a restricted free agent to an offer sheet since 2013, and it was a very modest deal, relatively, for Chris Copeland.
A more viable alternative for Indiana to land Ayton might be a sign-and-trade for Myles Turner, which has been the subject of multiple rumors, but Marks wondered if Turner alone would be enough for Phoenix.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Aaron Nesmith, another player in the trade with Boston that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics, said he was “completely caught off guard” when he heard the news, but the Pacers had their eye on him for a while and he’ll get a bigger opportunity with Indiana, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana’s brass told Nesmith to focus on honing a specific skill set. “To play free, be a good 3-and-D guy and I could be a top-notch 3-and-D guy in this league, so that’s the focus,” Nesmith said, per Agness. “That’s what we’re going to work for and that’s what I’m going to become.”
- The Pacers announced that they’re withholding first-rounder Bennedict Mathurin for the remainder of Las Vegas Summer League due to a sore left big toe. He was the No. 6 pick of last month’s draft. Second-year players Terry Taylor and Isaiah Jackson will also be out. Summer League ends on July 17, so I’m sure it’s just for precautionary reasons.
- Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 pick of the draft, showed the Pistons flashes of his enormous upside in his brief Summer League action before suffering a sprained ankle, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Cade Cunningham, Detroit’s No. 1 overall pick last year, said on a recent NBA TV appearance that he was looking forward to playing with his new backcourt partner. “Definitely excited to play with him,” Cunningham said. “He’s so talented, brings so much to the team. Just the way he plays the game, trying to play the right way, trying to play for his teammates, spread the ball. It’s all exciting. Being able to take the court with him is exciting and it’s coming soon. I’m excited, man.”
Why on God’s green earth would the Pacers be concerned about losing Fitts, Stauskas and Morgan, who were salary filler throw ins and will be cut at some point in the offseason anyway? Indiana should not have to ADD anything to a Turner and Ayton swap. They have all the leverage. Sign Ayton to an offer sheet while Phoenix is caught in all this Durant hullabaloo. If Phoenix doesnt want to do a sign and trade, plenty of teams would love Myles Turner on the last year of his deal and give Indiana back a decent draft pick in a separate trade.
Tottally agree, IND has the upper hand in the Ayton situation. If PHX doesn’t wanna do a sign and trade, wich they absolutely should and get Turner, IND can flip Turner anywhere and land a 1st round pick.
But Ayton is much better than a 1st, so if the goal for the Pacers is Ayton it doesn’t matter that they get a 1st for Turner.
Give Ayton “two” offer sheets. One full max and one two year with a player option. Then sign him to a max deal the next year if the Suns match.
They can trade Turner for a pick and less salary and sign Ayton. If Suns match, they become worse and have better shot at Wenbanyama in the draft. Probably won’t resign Turner anyways since they’ve been talking about trading him for two years.
You think if the Suns sign Ayton they have a shot at the number 1 pick in the draft??
I think he meant IND and worded parapgraph taking the position of IND.
If phoenix was willing to offer him the max wouldn’t they have done so before now?
Im not 100% sure but i belive that the Max from PHX is higher than the that can offer IND. So PHX can sign him for less money if they match IND offer sheet than if they sign him to the max they can offer and Ayton is commanding. So by doing that PHX will save some money, not sure if that’s enough for Sarver.
It can be but doesn’t have to be. Teams can offer a bit more and an extra year but they aren’t required to
When your options are offer the max or loss a piece like Ayton for nothing…. you get to signing. Worse comes to worse for the Suns they move Ayton at the deadline to whoever’s going to outbid everyone else. Suns are coming off a trip to the finals and then a No. 1 seed in the west. Not sure why people think Pacers hold the cards here when the Suns could just sign him and basically be guaranteed a spot in the 2nd round
Good point about Aaron Nesmith entering a different system with positions.
I don’t recall any rising ex-Celtics tho.
Nesmith just needs minutes and he will get them now. His shot will come back IMO and he hustles with the best. Indy did well !