The Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers have reached a deal that will send two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana, the Pacers announced Wednesday night. The Raptors will receive three first-round picks as well as Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora in the blockbuster deal, which comes three weeks before the NBA trade deadline on February 8th. The Pelicans are also involved in the trade and are sending Kira Lewis Jr. to Toronto.
Two of the three first-round picks acquired from the Raptors will be included in the 2024 NBA Draft: Indiana's pick and a pick originally acquired from the Thunder, which will be the lowest pick among the Jazz, Rockets and Thunder picks. The other first-rounder is Indiana's 2026 selection. The 2026 pick is top-four protected, per The Athletic.
Here's the full deal:
- Pacers received: Pascal Siakam, 2024 second-round pick (via Pelicans)
- Raptors receive: Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 first-round pick (via Pacers), 2024 first-round pick (less of Jazz/Clippers/Rockets/Thunder picks) and 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers, protected). 1-4)
- Pelicans receive: Cash Considerations
Siakam, an impending free agent, is expected to be “eager” to negotiate a long-term deal this summer to remain in Indiana. ESPN adds.
“I am pleased that Pascal will have a first-class opportunity with the Pacers by working with Tyrese.” [Haliburton] and Myles [Turner] and being trained by a great coach in Rick Carlisle. His future there looks bright,” Siakam's agent Todd Ramasar told Andscape.
Several other teams were reportedly exploring acquiring Siakam, including the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. The Raptors were apparently involved in talks with the Sacramento Kings at some point, but those talks ultimately fell through. Sacramento was reportedly unwilling to include second-year forward Keegan Murray in a deal with Siakam. Siakam had an unusual impact on these trade talks with his summer free agency deadline. He was able to scare off teams he wasn't interested in by refusing to negotiate an extension.
Indiana, now 23-17 and ranked No. 6 in the Eastern Conference, was well-positioned to make the significant gain. Not only did the Pacers — who average an NBA-best 125.6 points per game — own all of their own first-round picks as well as another 2024 first-rounder from the Thunder, but they're also capable of maxing out in this case Creating scope even outside of the season. That gave them some leverage over the Raptors in these negotiations.
The 29-year-old Siakam is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season. This is his eighth season in the NBA, all of which came with the Raptors, who selected him 27th overall in 2016. Siakam has made two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams and helped Toronto win its first NBA title in 2019.
The Raptors have already made a big trade this season, sending OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks, netting them RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Barrett and Quickley have fit in seamlessly in Toronto, and now the Raptors have brought in another key veteran to continue their efforts to rejuvenate the roster around center forward Scottie Barnes.
Indiana isn't known to be particularly aggressive in its search for experienced talent, but the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton as a legitimate MVP candidate has changed their roster calculations. The right upgrades could make the Pacers championship contenders in the near future.