Would Deandre Ayton be a bigger Pacers free-agent signing than David West?
The Pacers are getting closer to making their biggest-ever move in free agency. On Thursday, Deandre Ayton agreed to a four-year, $133M maximum offer sheet with Indiana Pacers, a source confirmed to IndyStar. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the transaction. Phoenix has 48 hours to match the offer.
If he signs with Indiana, he would be the best player to sign with Indiana since, at least, David West in 2011, who was crucial to the team’s Eastern Conference Finals runs in 2013 and 2014.
Ayton would be coming into a much different situation — by any measure, the Pacers are rebuilding with an eye for contention in the future — but his skillset and upside might expedite the process by leaps and bounds.
With that context in mind, which signing would be bigger? Let's make a case for each player.
A look at Pacers history: Ranking every free agent the Pacers have signed
The case for Deandre Ayton:
Ayton has the chance to fast-track what looked to be a long rebuilding process for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in two seasons and hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2014.
He just completed his age 23 season with the Phoenix Suns and averaged a double-double — 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He has already been in the league for four years (236 games) and was a 2019 All-Rookie honoree.
Ayton’s best days are ahead, but he would be a grizzled veteran on a roster where, with the exception of Myles Turner, the biggest names are young and/or inexperienced — Tyrese Haliburton (2020 draft pick), Chris Duarte (2021 draft pick) and Jalen Smith (2020 draft pick).
His 7-foot-6 wingspan would give the Pacers an imposing presence on both ends of the court. According to Cleaning The Glass, he shot 76.6% at the rim this season (89th percentile for his position). Defensively, he doesn’t block many shots for his height (1 per game for his career) but he is regarded as an excellent and versatile defensive big man. But for a big man, he gets to the line an alarmingly low amount. In games last season where he took at least 14 shots, he averaged 22.3 ppg on 60.0% shooting and grabbed 11.6 rpg — but averaged just 2.9 free throw attempts in those games.
But his presence in the locker room and on the court would provide an injection of energy for a fanbase that hasn’t had much to get excited about in recent years. There could be a ripple effect. Ayton’s presence in Indiana could bring other free agents into town that wouldn’t have considered the Pacers otherwise.
The case for David West:
David West came to the Pacers as a 31-year-old coming off an ACL tear, and to a team that had gone 37-45 the year before. He immediately became the second-oldest player on a team that featured a 28-year-old Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert in his third NBA season and Paul George and Lance Stephenson coming off their rookie seasons.
West averaged 12.8 points per game, Hibbert averaged a career-high in points and rebounds, and Granger led the team in scoring.
"The second he got here, you got the feeling that this guy was going to be the one to really change this whole locker room, change this whole team," Paul George said in 2014. "He just brought an edge and a toughness, real leadership the second he got here."
That season, despite ending in a second-round playoff series loss to Miami, set the stage for what was to come. The next season, as Paul George led the team in scoring in his third NBA season and West averaged 17.1 points per game with 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists. The Pacers took Miami to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The next season, while West’s production dipped slightly (14 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.8 apg), he was still a steadying force, starting all 80 games he played. The Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season, again losing to Miami, this time in six games. In 49 playoff games with Indiana, West averaged 15.4 points per game.
Based on Basketball-Reference’s win shares statistic (which estimates the number of wins a player contributes during a season), two of the most valuable seasons during his career came in Indiana (9.1 wins in 2013 and 8.1 in 2014). Ayton had a career-high 8.4 win shares in 2020-21.
Without West, the Pacers likely don’t embark on two of their most successful seasons in franchise history — a level they’ve been grasping at since his departure in 2015.
Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers: Would Deandre Ayton be Indiana's biggest free-agent signing?
