Myles Turner is gone. How will the Indiana Pacers replace him?
One possibility is the guy that they already tried to replace him with not that long ago in Deandre Ayton, who was bought out by the Trail Blazers from the deal that the Pacers originally signed him to via an offer sheet that was matched by Phoenix.
According to David Aldridge of the Athletic, the Pacers will be “considered” as a potential landing spot for the center according to a source close to Ayton.
This isn’t exactly a sure-fire slam dunk as Ayton, who averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds last season, was bought out because his previous team grew tired of his lack of professionalism. According to the Athletic, a list of issues piled up in Portland: tardiness to team flights and practices, skipping of rehabilitation appointments, and tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort.
These are not things that the Pacers put up with, he would be racking up fines from the team if those issues remained. Indiana has collected a roster full of good dudes that took them all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, players where you don’t have to worry about them working or playing hard. If the Pacers are interested, this would be a bet on talent that made the 26-year-old the first pick in a draft that featured Luka Doncic, now a member of the Lakers who seem like the favorites to land the big man, and a bet that their organization and culture can help Ayton grow in maturity.
As Indiana looks to replace a center that had been there for a decade, there aren’t a ton of appealing options in the open market and they only have the $14.1 million MLE to work with as they remain over the cap even after losing Myles. We’ll see what the front office is able to accomplish as they pivot from the surprise of losing Turner to their biggest rivals.
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