Toronto Raptors trade Pascal Siakam to Indiana Pacers
In their second big move ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA Trade Deadline, the Toronto Raptors have officially traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was among the first to report Wednesday. According to Wojnarowski, the New Orleans Pelicans will also be involved in the trade, sending guard Kira Lewis to the Raptors
NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the two sides having “active talks” about a f possible trade involving Siakam Tuesday evening.
Siakam has been linked to the Pacers since the offseason, though there was never enough traction for a deal to be complete. Siakam was expected to be one of the hottest names moved ahead of the deadline, and after it traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks earlier this month, it felt all but inevitable that Siakam would be wearing a different jersey by the time Feb. 8 passed.
Siakam, 29, is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 52.2 percent shooting, though he’s only shooting 31.7 percent from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts this season.
His usage rate’s slightly dipped to where it was two seasons ago, but he’s been one of Toronto’s only sources of shot creation over the last four seasons.
Now, he will add another shot creator outside of superstar point guard Tyrese Haliburton, which it desperately needed. Siakam will now operate with the best spacing he’s had in his career in a high-octane, high-paced offense where he will run into myriad mismatch opportunities in the halfcourt and in semi-transition. He is also an above-average defender who could help elevate a Pacers defense that’s the 27th-best in the NBA in non-garbage time situations, according to Cleaning The Glass.
A deal with this price tag would suggest that re-signing Siakam is even more paramount. Siakam is making $37.8 million in 2023-24 and is expected to be a free agent this summer. He will be eligible to sign a five-year supermax that could be worth north of $300 million if he makes All-NBA this season; but if not, his impending max would be about $260 million, assuming the cap is raised by a full 10 percent.
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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
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