The Pacers have never made the No. 1 pick and have never had a former No. 1 pick play for them. That could change soon.
Pacers insider James Boyd reacts to Indiana offering Suns star and restricted free agent Deandre Ayton a max contract.The Pacers have never made the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and have never had a former No. 1 pick play for them.Indiana – known for hardly ever pursuing restricted free agents – agreed to a four-year, $133 million max offer sheet with Suns star and restricted free agent Deandre Ayton on Thursday, league sources told IndyStar. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news.
Here are my three reasons why I think the Pacers offering Ayton the max and forcing the Suns’ hand was the right decision:The Pacers believe they already have a franchise cornerstone in point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who they acquired in a trade last season with the Kings for two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis. Haliburton, 22, shined in Indiana, averaging 17.5 points and 9.
Are Haliburton and Ayton good enough to be the first or second option on a championship caliber team? Maybe. But if No. 6 pick Bennedict Mathurin blossoms into a star, the Pacers – who made their lone NBA Finals appearance in 2000 – could have a shot to get back there in the future as their young trio matures.As I’ve already stated, the Suns will most likely match the Pacers’ max offer sheet for Ayton and keep him. If they do, Ayton can’t be traded until Jan.
Football is obviously a lot different than basketball, but this overarching rule is true for all team sports: Stars can’t win by themselves. “It’s clear that I’m not valued as anything more than a glorified role player here, and I want something more, more opportunity,”“I’m trying really hard to make the role that I’m given here work and find a way to maximize it. I’ve been trying to the past two, three seasons. But it’s clear to me that, just numbers-wise, I’m not valued as more than a rotational role player, and I hold myself in a higher regard than that.
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