Deandre Ayton Reportedly Linked to Pacers Amid Lakers Rumors in NBA Free Agency

Center Deandre Ayton is reportedly garnering interest from multiple teams after getting bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers this week.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Indiana Pacers have "registered interest" in Ayton, although the "safest forecast" is that he will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers.

Fischer added that the Milwaukee Bucks had shown some interest in Ayton as well, but that was before they waived guard Damian Lillard and came to an agreement with former Pacers center Myles Turner in free agency on Tuesday.

Turner joining the Bucks leaves the reigning Eastern Conference champion Pacers with an obvious hole in their frontcourt, and there is reason to believe that Ayton has some support within the organization.

After all, the Pacers signed Ayton to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet in 2022 when he was a restricted free agent with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns decided to match the offer sheet, though, and Indiana missed out on the former No. 1 overall draft pick.

Ayton, who turns 27 on July 23, is a seven-year NBA veteran who has put up some solid numbers over the course of his career.

In 398 regular-season games, Ayton owns averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 block per contest, while shooting 59.0 percent from the field.

Along with averaging a double-double in each of his seven seasons, Ayton has also shown a penchant for delivering in the playoffs, as he averaged 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the Suns' run to the NBA Finals in 2021.

The Suns moved on from Ayton in 2023, sending him to the Blazers as part of a three-team trade.

Ayton remained productive in Portland, but injuries limited him to 55 games in 2023-24 and 40 games last season. In those 40 games, Ayton set a new career low with 14.4 points per contest, but he still managed to average 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 block as well, plus he shot 56.6 percent from the floor.

On Tuesday, Jason Quick of The Athletic suggested in a report that the Blazers buying out Ayton was related to his attitude and off-court antics rather than his on-court performance.

Quick reported that during his time in Portland, Ayton was late for team flights and practices, skipped rehab appointments and threw "tantrums" in the locker room if he got benched for poor performances.

While those issues should not be dismissed, the fact that Ayton is a productive 7-footer in his prime suggests he shouldn't have much of an issue finding a new home in the NBA.

The Pacers make a ton of sense for Ayton after losing Turner, but so do the Lakers, who are desperate for a center upgrade.

After a lack of high-end talent and depth in the frontcourt doomed the Lakers in their first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters that adding a center during the offseason would be one of his "primary goals."

That hasn't happened yet, and although the Lakers could get their center via trade, Ayton is likely the highest-upside option available on the open market.