The Pacers are entering a full rebuild mode, and Tyrese Haliburton is set to be the main building block of that. They have a nice core built around him already, but adding Ayton to it would take things up a notch.
Right now, their starting center is Myles Turner, and that’s all well and good. But he’s going into the last year of his contract anyway, so taking a swing on Ayton would make sense.
Rolling out as starting lineup of Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte, Jalen Smith, and Ayton would be a solid lineup, and they’d still have players like Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson coming off the bench.
They’re rumored to be exploring trades for Turner right now, so they could potentially send him to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade and save money, or they could deal him elsewhere for more assets.
For Ayton, playing alongside Haliburton would allow him to continue playing with a pass-first point guard. He’s played with Chris Paul for the past two seasons, so still having a point guard to set him up for buckets would be a nice luxury to have.
That duo would be good enough to lead Indiana into the future, but there would be no rush for them to compete. That being said, at their best, both could be All-Stars one day.
Phoenix Suns</a> big man doesn’t have a single offer. At least, not one that has been reported yet.</p>
<p>Considering how young Ayton is and how successful he’s been on the Suns for the past two seasons, this is a pretty odd occurrence. Is there an unknown problem with Ayton?</p>
<p>While that may be possible, it’s more likely that money has just dried up and nothing has come to fruition yet for Ayton. He’s probably been talking with teams, but no deals have been finalized.</p>
<p>With that in mind, let’s do a quick recap of the best three landing spots for Ayton now that the initial dust of free agency has settled. Where should Ayton land?</p>
<h2>NBA Free Agency: 3 best landing spots for Deandre Ayton: Atlanta Hawks</h2>
<p>Atlanta has already made waves this offseason, as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/02/nba-free-agency-deandre-ayton/2/"https://www.nba.com/news/hawks-spurs-dejounte-murray-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they traded for Dejounte Murray</a>, sending out a massive haul of first-rounders. So why not keep the party going by trading for Ayton, too?</p>
<p>Murray and Trae Young are two of the best playmakers in the business, and having Ayton on the roster would give them a solid big man to dish it to down low.</p>
<p>They already have Clint Capela, but Ayton has more star potential and fits the timeline of Murray and Young better. Plus, they could ship out Capela (or John Collins) in the sign-and-trade for Ayton.</p>
<p>As far as Ayton is concerned, he would thrive alongside two great playmakers, as he has in Phoenix. Plus, a fresh start would clearly do him some good, and playing for an up-and-coming Hawks team would be a fun challenge.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/02/nba-free-agency-deandre-ayton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Team #2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-446594" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/02/nba-free-agency-deandre-ayton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1365242513.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency, Deandre Ayton" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1365242513.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1365242513-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 14: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns attempts a shot while being guarded by Justin Holiday #8 of the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 14, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana, NBA Free Agency: 3 best landing spots for Deandre Ayton. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA Free Agency: 3 best landing spots for Deandre Ayton: Indiana Pacers</h2>
<p>The Pacers are entering a full rebuild mode, and Tyrese Haliburton is set to be the main building block of that. They have a nice core built around him already, but adding Ayton to it would take things up a notch.</p>
<p>Right now, their starting center is Myles Turner, and that’s all well and good. But he’s going into the last year of his contract anyway, so taking a swing on Ayton would make sense.</p>
<p>Rolling out as starting lineup of Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte, Jalen Smith, and Ayton would be a solid lineup, and they’d still have players like Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson coming off the bench.</p>
<p>They’re rumored to be exploring trades for Turner right now, so they could potentially send him to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade and save money, or they could deal him elsewhere for more assets.</p>
<p>For Ayton, playing alongside Haliburton would allow him to continue playing with a pass-first point guard. He’s played with Chris Paul for the past two seasons, so still having a point guard to set him up for buckets would be a nice luxury to have.</p>
<p>That duo would be good enough to lead Indiana into the future, but there would be no rush for them to compete. That being said, at their best, both could be All-Stars one day.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/02/nba-free-agency-deandre-ayton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Team #3 </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> 4 Kevin Durant trades for the Nets to consider </a> </div>
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