The Toronto Raptors have traded two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers and have received three first-round draft picks in return. As a part of the deal, the Raptors also received versatile Bruce Brown, who won the league with the Denver Nuggets last season. They also received a decent role player in Jordan Nwora.
The New Orleans Pelicans are the third team involved in the deal. They sent Kira Lewis Jr. to the Raptors while sending a second-round pick to the Pacers.
Siakam’s move to the Pacers will surely make them a force in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers have been very competitive this season. They also reached the final of the In-Season tournament, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Overall, Siakam will complement Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton and the two can raise mayhem in the East. They also have a versatile big man Myles Turner to create an imposing three-point attacking team.
Just to add to that, the Pacers also have the likes of Benedict Mathurin and Jalen Smith coming off the bench. Hence, they now have enough talent to make it big in the East.
Although the news was clear that the Raptors were looking to offload Siakim, it was only in the last few days that the Pacers became a front-runner for the two-time All-Star. As per reports, multiple packages were discussed between the two teams before they finally came to an agreement.
It was The Athletic’s Shams Charania who reported on Wednesday that the Raports and Pacers are in talks for Siakam and then he eventually broke the news on Thursday. However, it will be a big disappointment for the Sacramento Kings, who were interested in Siakam for a long time and had been in contact with the Raptors. But unfortunately, they lost the battle to the Pacers.
Other teams like the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks showed interest in acquiring the two-time All-Star. However, they eventually couldn’t meet the asking price that the Raptors were asking for Siakam.
The Raptors are looking to collect as many assets as possible and hence the Siakam trade made sense, especially for three first-round draft picks from the Pacers.
Siakam has spent his entire career with the Raptors since the Canadian outfit drafted him with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. However, he turned out to be a superstar for the franchise and was a crucial part of the 2019 Raptors team which won the NBA Championship. He was also named an All-Star in 2020 and 2023.
The 29-year-old has had a decent season as he is averaging 22.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The Pacers would love him to keep going or even improve on his numbers.
