Ayton to sign offer sheet with Pacers

The Pacers agreed to sign restricted free agent Deandre Ayton to a fouryear, $133 million offer sheet, giving the Suns two days to match the offer — or lose the center it selected with the top overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. If the Suns match the offer sheet, Ayton wouldn’t be eligible for a trade until Jan. 15 and he couldn’t be dealt to the Pacers for a year. It also could impact the Suns’ hopes of acquiring Kevin Durant from the Nets. Should the Suns let Ayton walk, they would receive nothing in return. Ayton is attempting to leave a team that balked at offering a max deal. If he ends up with the Pacers, Ayton would be a pivotal piece in a promising young core. Ayton — who turns 24 later this month — had a shaky start but became a critical component in the Suns’ run to the 2021 NBA Finals. The Suns also won a league-best and franchise record 64 games last season. The athletic 6-foot-11 Ayton is powerful in the low post and has developed a strong mid-range game. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 63.4% from the field and 36.8% on 3-pointers.