The Phoenix Suns season came to a screeching halt in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and owners of the best record in the regular season, were embarrassed in Game 7 on their homecourt by the Dallas Mavericks, who will be advancing onto the Western Conference Finals to face off against the Golden State Warriors.
Phoenix will now get their offseason plans underway. The No. 1 item on their to-do list will be figuring out what to do with center, Deandre Ayton.
Ayton is entering restricted free agency after he and the Suns were unable to agree on a rookie extension entering the 2021-22 season. Ayton was seeking a max contract, while ownership was dead set on not offering him one. No deal was reached as a result and the teams will try again in a few weeks.
As a restricted free agent, Phoenix will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet that Ayton signs. It would be shocking if the Suns allowed him to walk in free agency. The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft has proven that he is worth a max deal and is improving each season on the court.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 2 Sign-And-Trade Packages To Send Suns’ Deandre Ayton To Pacers
If the Suns still don’t feel that he is, they could opt to let him walk in free agency. More than likely, they would attempt to work out a sign-and-trade deal with whichever team he opts to sign with if they do not possess the cap space to sign him to a max deal.
One team to keep an eye on in that scenario is the Indiana Pacers. There have reportedly been talks of a sign-and-trade deal between the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns centered around Ayton and Myles Turner.
The two sides had discussed a deal ahead of the trade deadline that involved Domantas Sabonis, who was ultimately traded to the Sacramento Kings. This could be a continuation of those talks as Indiana could look to make a splash and push the timeline of their rebuild forward.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 2 Sign-And-Trade Packages To Send Suns’ Deandre Ayton To Pacers
Deandre Ayton would be a great fit in Indiana as a foundational piece alongside Tyrese Haliburton and whoever they select in the lottery of the 2022 NBA Draft. It is not a stretch to say that Ayton would be the best free-agent acquisition in Indiana Pacers history should they acquire him this offseason as a restricted free agent.
