Pacers sign Ayton to NBA-record 4-year, $133M offer sheet

The Indiana Pacers signed Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton to an NBA-record four-year, $133-million maximum contract offer sheet, his agents told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Suns have 48 hours to match the offer sheet and are expected to do so, Wojanrowski reports.

Indiana waived and stretched Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas to free up cap space for Ayton's offer sheet, sources told Wojnarowski. The team also apparently waived second-year guard Duane Washington to accommodate Ayton.

Ayton can't be included in a sign-and-trade as the contract is binding, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. In the event Phoenix matches the offer sheet, Ayton can veto any trade after Jan. 15, Marks adds.

Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale are the only centers currently under contract with the Suns.

Myles Turner, meanwhile, has been the Pacers' starting five for the past seven seasons but has been regularly involved in trade rumors and is now on an expiring deal.

Ayton became a restricted free agent this summer after he and the Suns failed to agree on a new long-term deal prior to the 2021-22 campaign.

The 2018 No. 1 pick has spent the first four seasons of his career in Phoenix. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 boards while shooting a career-high 63.4% from the field over 58 appearances in 2021-22.