Forward Pascal Siakam, a two-time All-Star, is being traded to the Indiana Pacers as part of a three-team deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Siakam, along with a second-round draft pick, is shipped to Indiana where the Toronto Raptors are receiving forward Bruce Brown, forward Jordan Nwora, guard Kira Lewis Jr. (via NOP) and three first-round draft picks while the third team, being the New Orleans Pelicans, will be receiving cash considerations.
The Indiana Pacers are an interesting team to be buying a few weeks before the trade deadline. The team went to the first ever In-Season NBA tournament championship, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 23-17 record. Tyrese Haliburton has been playing like an All-Star starter but hasn’t had a true second fiddle in his young career. Myles Turner is an extremely solid big man but there is not enough efficiency from him to truly consider him a star to pair with Haliburton, in my opinion. Enter Siakam, who is shooting 52% from the field averaging 22.2 points per game. Haliburton is known throughout the league as one of the best facilitators and to bring in a guy averaging over 20 points a game is a great fit.
There is one true problem with this deal and it is that Siakam is on an expiring contract, meaning he will be hitting free agency this upcoming summer. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, Siakam is eligible to sign a two-year extension worth $81 million by June 30 while Indiana does retain Siakam’s Bird Rights and can sign him to a five-year contract worth up to $247 million. Since this trade occurred, Siakam is no longer eligible for the super max contract extension. Adrian Wojnarowski said today that Siakam is eager to join the Pacers and is looking to sign that extension.
As for the Raptors, I think this is a good haul for a player that was most definitely going to leave this summer. Pascal Siakam was an integral part of the 2019 Toronto Raptors championship winning team along the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Fred Van Vleet, but after four years since then, all have left the organization. The Toronto Raptors are headed for a full rebuild. With the firing of Nick Nurse after last season and the recent trade involving wing OG Anunoby, it has become apparent that Toronto wants to build draft capital to develop some new stars.
Bruce Brown is an extremely solid player but is having a down season coming off his championship winning stint with the Denver Nuggets. He is sitting on a contract worth $22 million with a club option and I don’t see Toronto spending their money on Brown with a rebuild in mind. Jordan Nwora will be a free agent this summer also but he is a player that can come in off the bench and give you a few buckets. This trade was not about the players Toronto were receiving, it was about the three first-round picks. The interesting piece to me here is the addition of Kira Lewis. Lewis, a former first-round draft pick, has not had the best stint with the Pelicans since they drafted him. He was playing under 10 minutes a game this season and shooting 30% from the field, which is certainly not ideal nor efficient. I think a change of scenery is great for Lewis and I hope he can earn some quality playing time with this rebuilding squad. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were the two main pieces received for the weeks-old Anunoby deal and are young foundational pieces for a rebuilding Raptors squad. Quickley will be looking for a hefty contract this summer while Barrett is on the books for the next few seasons through the 2026-27 NBA season. The Toronto Raptors have a bright future with these young players and a bunch of first-round picks.
Who do I think wins the trade?
I think it was great for Toronto to ship Siakam ahead of the deadline because I really did not see an outcome with him returning to the team after the season, but the Pacers could really be a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference with guys like Haliburton, Siakam, Turner and their younger players like Benedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker really developing. This Pacers team could be a real problem in the East for years to come. Pending a Siakam extension, I think Indiana wins this trade and it will be interesting to see how Siakam plays with this squad.