With free agency right around the corner, all the best betting sites for the NBA have odds on where top players will sign if they leave their current team. The emphasis here is on if. You cannot wager on their returns to incumbent squads. This is why sportsbooks routinely deal with players who seem like flight risks. And one of those players is Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns.
In fact, amid an otherwise weak NBA free-agent class in 2022, Ayton might be the best player with the top odds to actually leave his current team. So you better believe we’re trying to get in on the action. Below you’ll find the latest betting odds on where Deandre Ayton will sign if he leaves Phoenix:
| Deandre Ayton's Next Team |  |
|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | +150 |
| Toronto Raptors | +250 |
| Indiana Pacers | +350 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +600 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +700 |
| Chicago Bulls | +800 |
| Orlando Magic | +800 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +900 |
Please note that these betting odds on NBA free agency are accurate entering Thursday, June 30. Make sure you’re double-checking them before settling on any basketball picks, since all basketball futures are subject to wild shifts this time of year.
Also pay attention to the nature of this bet. You only receive a payout if Deandre Ayton leaves the Suns for the team you picked. On the bright side, if he winds up re-signing with Phoenix, the best betting sites in the United States will refund your wager, since they are not an option on the ledger.
Finally, if you’re still in the market for a place to bet on the NBA, consider checking out our definitive reviews of all the top online sportsbooks. We’ve made these to help you spot the best sports betting sites in 2022, so you might as well take advantage of them!
It almost feels like oddsmakers are setting a pre-draft market for Ayton’s free agency by having the Pistons at No. 1. Back then, Detroit had more than $40 million in cap space and no bigs under contract aside from Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk.
Fast forward to now, and the Pistons not only have two more centers on the roster in Nerlens Noel and lottery pick Jalen Duren, but they’ve burned through most of their cap space facilitating trades. They would have to acquire Ayton from the Suns via sign-and-trade, a transaction that profiles as unrealistic when they don’t have many players Phoenix would be interested in taking back for their own roster.
To be sure: We wouldn’t rule out the Pistons entirely. But they should be a touch lower on your board.
The Raptors did not begin the offseason this high on the list of teams who could land Ayton. But they absolutely belong here now.
Toronto doesn’t have the money to simply sign Ayton, but they’re built to make things happen with him via sign-and-trade. A third team would be needed to make the math work, but something along the lines of OG Anunoby or Gary Trent Jr. plus other salary filler could get things moving.
Looking at the Raptors’ roster, it isn’t entirely obvious that they need a center. They already have Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher and Khem Birch. But they could certainly use help on the glass, at both ends, as well as a more traditional screener in the pick-and-roll.
Ayton checks both of those boxes in a big way.
The Spurs were at one time considered favorites to sign Ayton away from the Suns. They had more cap space than just about any other team, and the big man was known to be interested in joining San Antonio.
But the Spurs changed their entire trajectory when they flipped Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. They are no longer on a win-now timeline, so ponying up max money for a center who doesn’t vault them closer to NBA Finals contention would be impulsive and counterintuitive.
At the same time, maybe not.
Ayton is only 23, going on 24. He has hardly aged himself out of an organization planning for the bigger picture. He can be the face of San Antonio’s rebuild if they deem him good enough for the role.
And the best bet to sign Deandre Ayton if he leaves the Suns is…the Raptors!
This decision would’ve sounded bonkers just a few days ago. It’s less of a risk now.
Do not underestimate how much the overall market for Ayton has changed recently. The Pistons cycled through cap space they could’ve used to get him. Ditto for the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs may still have cap space, but they lack the urgency to go after him following Murray’s exit.
Other options abound. The Indiana Pacers make some sense if they move Myles Turner, perhaps even as part of a trade for Ayton himself. The Chicago Bulls could use an upgrade over Nikola Vucevic, too.
Overall, though, the market lacks teams that both want Ayton and have the motivation to jump through hoops to get him. Toronto is the most likely exception—and, frankly, it no longer feels close.
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your NBA betting:
About the Author
Around the age of 12, Dan realized, sadly, he’d never become a professional basketball player. It turns out people under 6’0” who can’t dribble or shoot aren’t touted prospects. Who knew?! Anyway, once it became clear he could play professional sports, he figured the next best thing to do was cover them. So, that’s what he did. And continues to do. Dan has worked in the pro sports analysis industry since 2011, giving him almost 15 years total experience. Though started out covering and continues to be enamored by the NBA, he has spent the past decade or so expanding his expertise and analysis to the NFL, NHL, MLB, tennis, esports and golf. Over the past few years, Dan has cannonballed into full-on sports betting news coverage. He remains fascinated by the impact the legalization of gambling in the United States is having on the country. It has, in so many ways, changed everything about how we consume sports. Is that good? Bad? Does it all even out in the end? His coverage has always and will continue trying to reconcile the duality of this industry, pro sports at large and their influence. In his spare time, Dan enjoys honing his weightlifting, eating enough sweet potatoes to feed a rather large family, binge-watching his all-time favorite shows (Psych is the goat!) and hanging out with his three dogs, all of whom are Cockaliers, Thor, Wade and Cosmo. Typically, though, if he’s not eating or sleeping, Dan is watching or covering sports—and loving basically every minute of it.
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