The Indiana Pacers have acquired All-Star forward Pascal Siakam in a trade. Indiana sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks to Toronto. The New Orleans Pelicans got involved as a third team, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors.
Siakam will play alongside star guard Tyrese Haliburton and talented center Myles Turner. Siakam's agent stated, "I'm excited that Pascal is getting a first-class opportunity with the Pacers, being paired with Tyrese and Myles and being coached by a great coach in Rick Carlisle. His future... looks bright there."
Indiana opts to be buyers in pursuit of contention in the Eastern Conference. They are in 6th place in the East at 23-17 and could jump higher with the addition of Siakam.
The risk of this trade is that Siakam is in the final year of his deal. Indiana will have to extend or re-sign him in the offseason to make this trade worthwhile. The 29-year-old is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 52/32/76 shooting splits this season.
The big three of Haliburton, Siakam, and Turner could be dynamic and elevate the Pacers to a legitimate threat in the East. Indiana was able to hold onto most of their core role players, which should help the team down the stretch.
For the Raptors, they part with an All-Star player who has spent his entire career with the franchise and won a championship ring. While trading a player of his caliber is hard, they acquired a talented wing in Bruce Brown, a solid young player in Nwora, and took a flier on Lewis.
The most significant piece of this trade is the draft capital. Toronto receives Indiana's first-round pick in 2024 and 2026, along with a 2024 Thunder first-round pick, which will be the worst of UTA/HOU/LAC/OKC.
The Raptors have now traded away OG Anunoby and Siakam as they retool their team around Scottie Barnes' timeline.
This trade could be a win-win if Indiana can re-sign Siakam long-term and Toronto uses the draft capital and open cap space wisely.
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