The Indiana Pacers could try to pluck another Suns player next summer

The 2022 NBA Free Agency is coming to a close, and while the Indiana Pacers may not be finished yet this offseason, the team has a lot to look forward in the next summer, as they project to have one of the biggest spending powers in the league to throw at free agents.

After their well-documented Deandre Ayton pursuit, who was a Pacer in spirit by only a few minutes before the Phoenix Suns matched their tendered max offer sheet, Indiana may end up being another torn on their side, as the Pacers brass can pluck another key player for them next year.

The Indiana Pacers can pursue another Phoenix Suns player next offseason

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, who has a relatively good track record, dished out that the Phoenix Suns may find it difficult to retain another key cog on last season’s best regular-season team.

"The next deal [Cameron] Johnson commands could surpass $15 million in average annual value, presenting a further crunch on the Suns’ salary cap after Phoenix matched Ayton’s four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana."

Cameron Johnson is certainly not the sexiest name in a deep pool of free agents next year, but the 26-year-old is easily one of the best role players in the league. Last season, he was a prominent rotation cog for the first-seeded Suns, serving as a versatile combo forward with ample defensive flexibility and a very solid three-point shot, canning 42.5 percent of his triples.

The Indiana Pacers will have a lot of money to use to hunt free agents next year, and while the bulk of it will be mothballed for Tyrese Haliburton’s looming expensive extension, the front office will still have substantial spending power over most teams. That’s why its easy to see them making a run at Johnson.

Johnson may be quite advanced to fit the Pacers’ timeline at 26 years old, but his relatively cheap salary projection should be something that Indiana should not gloss over. After all, he is a very good supporting piece to the core group, able to plug in multiple roster holes. Better yet, his production does not waver despite his varying roles.

Ultimately, while Cameron Johnson is not a pendulum swinger by himself, the Indiana Pacers should try to pursue him next season. Not only is it fun to see the team gaslight the Phoenix Suns like an annual tradition, but the forward simply makes too much sense on the basketball side of things to just view as another entry on a deep free agent crop.