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NBA Free Agency: 3 best landing spots for Deandre Ayton

By Jack Simone

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 14: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns laughs before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 14, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 14: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns laughs before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 14, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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) /
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NBA Free Agency, Deandre Ayton
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) /

NBA Free Agency: 3 best landing spots for Deandre Ayton: Indiana Pacers

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.

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