Pacers sign Deandre Ayton to max offer sheet

Adrian Wojnarowski: RFA center Deandre Ayton has agreed to a four-year, $133M maximum offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Nima Namakian (Innovate Sports) and Bill Duffy (BDA Sports + WME Sports) tell ESPN. The Phoenix Suns have 48 hours …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
Jalen Smith gave @PHNX_Suns his thoughts on his new opportunity with the Pacers, the support he still receives from the Suns and a potential reunion with Deandre Ayton: bit.ly/3yxM7PK3:09 PM
CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Deandre Ayton, Pacers agree to four-year, $133 million offer sheet, per report; Suns have 48 hours to match
cbssports.com/nba/news/deand…3:08 PM
Evan Sidery @esidery
The Pacers are pushing their chips all-in on Tyrese Haliburton’s ascension to stardom with a max offer sheet submitted for Deandre Ayton.
Haliburton and Ayton would instantly form one of the NBA’s most lethal pick-and-roll tandems (via @basketbllnews): basketballnews.com/stories/nba-tr…3:07 PM
Quinton Mayo @RealQuintonMayo
Ayton’s offer sheet surpasses the four-year, $107 million deal signed by Otto Porter Jr. with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 — a deal the Washington Wizards ultimately matched.
@Adrian Wojnarowski3:06 PM
Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
Woj reports in his article that the Suns never even made Deandre Ayton an offer. Good lord. – 3:05 PM
James Boyd @RomeovilleKid
#Pacers extend max offer sheet to #Suns star, restricted free agent Deandre Ayton, per report indystar.com/story/sports/n… via @indystar3:05 PM
Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
The Suns need to match that Deandre Ayton offer. No if ands or buts about it. Kevin Durant deal is still not impossible, but it’ll probably be on the back burner now. Just can’t let him walk for nothing – 3:05 PM
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
Full story on restricted free agent C Deandre Ayton agreeing to largest offer sheet in NBA history with Pacers — four years, $133 million, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian tell ESPN: es.pn/3z7C5X23:04 PM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
If I were the Suns I’d bite the bullet and match on Ayton, even though I don’t think he’s worth the money. When you’re a championship contender you can’t just lose someone who really helps you for nothing. – 3:03 PM
James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
Suns can’t do a sign-and-trade, I believe, now that Ayton signed the offer sheet. So … does Indy move Turner if ayton is a pacer? Do they go two bigs, again? – 3:03 PM
Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
The Indiana Pacers pulled the trigger for DeAndre Ayton. A possible fit with Haliburton, Duarte, Mathurin can be huge upgrade for the team and the Pacers will able to be a dark horse in Eastern Conference! #Pacers
sdna.gr/mpasket/984895…3:02 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Finally movement with Ayton!
It’s very interesting that IND went the offer sheet route for a few reasons:
1 IND has been reluctant to do offer sheets in the past, preferring S&T.
2 Ayton can’t be a S&T to IND now bc he signed offer sheet
3 IND cleared more cap space somehow – 3:01 PM
Evan Sidery @esidery
This is a historic moment for the Pacers, who have tended to be very conservative in free agency.
Indiana just offered Deandre Ayton their first max contract since Paul George’s extension in 2013. – 3:00 PM
Alexis Morgan @alexismorgan
Two Bahamians on one team would be 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 @Buddy Hield @Deandre Ayton 🇧🇸🇧🇸🇧🇸🇧🇸🇧🇸 – 2:59 PM
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
RFA center Deandre Ayton has agreed to a four-year, $133M maximum offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Nima Namakian (Innovate Sports) and Bill Duffy (BDA Sports + WME Sports) tell ESPN. The Phoenix Suns have 48 hours to match the largest offer sheet in NBA history. – 2:57 PM
James Boyd @RomeovilleKid
The #Pacers don’t have enough cap space to extend a max offer sheet to #Suns star Deandre Ayton, but there are ways for them to get there. indystar.com/story/sports/n…10:48 AM
Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
Jalen Smith’s tenure in Phoenix didn’t end the way anyone wanted, but he, the Suns and the Pacers seem better off. At Summer League, Stix spoke to @PHNX_Suns about his future in Indy, the support he still gets from the Suns and Deandre Ayton: https://t.co/0pLxds3Fa6 pic.twitter.com/CNGipiECES10:03 AM

More on this storyline

 

Phoenix Suns restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton is signing a four-year, $133 million maximum contract offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian told ESPN on Thursday. The Suns have two days to match the largest in NBA history and keep Ayton — or let him go to the Pacers for nothing in return. -via ESPN / July 14, 2022
Namakian of Innovate Sports and Duffy of BDA Sports and WME had insisted to the Suns that they could find a maximum contract offer for Ayton in the marketplace, and are now delivering it with the offer sheet. The Suns had never made Ayton an offer, suggesting that they didn’t value him as a max player. If they don’t match the sheet, they Suns will lose the No. 1 overall pick without compensation. -via ESPN / July 14, 2022
Ayton’s offer sheet surpasses the four-year, $107 million deal signed by Otto Porter Jr. with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 — a deal the Washington Wizards ultimately matched. Sign-and-trade deals are longer allowed once Ayton signs the offer sheet with Indiana. If the Suns do match the offer sheet, they can’t trade Ayton anywhere until at least Jan. 15 — and can’t trade him to Indiana for a year. -via ESPN / July 14, 2022