NBA Hoops

NBA odds: Lines on Deandre Ayton’s next team, from Pistons to Hornets

NBA odds: Lines on Deandre Ayton's next team, from Pistons to Hornets

With NBA free agency opening at 6 p.m. ET on June 30, the best big man available is Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns. Although no franchise has had more wins in the last 700 days, it appears they are ready to move on from the top pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. 

How did we get here? 

To put things in simple terms, Ayton wants a max contract. After failing to grant him a rookie extension in 2021, it’s clear the Suns do not view him as a maximum level player. Therefore, this Thursday he becomes a restricted free agent and gamblers everywhere are wondering where he will end up next. 

The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds on 63% shooting as he manned the middle for the scorching-hot Suns en route to a 64-win season, a year after making the NBA finals. With his pick-n-roll skills and defensive chops, one would think this is a recipe for long-term success. So why wouldn’t his strong play lead to a guaranteed max contract?

Well for starters, Ayton lacks shot-creation ability. Unlike his idol, Hakeem Olajuwon, you can’t toss the ball into him and expect your offensive sets to run fluidly. He’s also had trouble reading defenses and finding open teammates, too often focused solely on the basket. Furthermore, on the defensive end, while he is great at stopping the roller in screen action and defending the post, he is a bit flat-footed and has trouble containing quick guards on switches. Despite Ayton’s reputation as a defensive stopper, he does not get a ton of blocks and steals — averaging less than one of each per game. 

Ultimately it looks like Phoenix doesn’t want to give max money to a big man that isn’t elite offensively (e.g., Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic) or defensively (e.g., Rudy Gobert). Now you can understand why a 23-year-old double-double machine with a 7-foot-5 wing span might be on another squad next season. 

To get some insight on the topic, we turned to FOX Bet for hypothetical odds on the teams most likely to have Deandre Ayton’s services for the opening day of the 2022-2023 NBA season. 

 ODDS ON DEANDRE AYTON’S NEXT TEAM*

Detroit Pistons: +150 (bet $10 to win $25 total)
Phoenix Suns: +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total)
Indiana Pacers: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Charlotte Hornets: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
San Antonio Spurs: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
New York Knicks: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Washington Wizards: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)

*odds as of 6/29/2022

At +150, the Detroit…

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