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As the Indiana Pacers' season ended in the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Boston Celtics, they now enter an offseason with immediate goals. One of them is to sign Pacers star Pascal Siakam to a contract extension after trading for him during the middle of this season, however there has been betting odds associated to him possibly moving elsewhere like with the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to BetOnline, the 76ers have the best chance to get Siakam if he does not stay with the Pacers at +300 while the Thunder are at +400. It has been known that Philadelphia is seeking another star to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and as for Oklahoma City, a veteran star like Siakam could be useful next to a youthful, talented group.
Pacers “biggest priority” is to keep Siakam
However, it's important to mention that the former Toronto Raptor most likely stays with Indiana after a successful season as said by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
“Their biggest priority is bringing back Pascal Siakam,” Charania stated on FanDuel's Run It Back. “The Pacers gave up three first-round draft picks to go get him. They didn't just trade those picks to potentially just have a crack at keeping him. They understand it's a max-level contract commitment that you're going to have with Pascal Siakam.
“That's what they are preparing to offer him this summer, and he wants to be there.”
“[The Pacers] biggest priority is bringing back Pascal Siakam” 🤝@ShamsCharania on the offseason plans for the Indiana Pacers pic.twitter.com/sjr3Gu0oNk
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 28, 2024
In terms of an extension, he is eligible for a “five-year contract with the Pacers that could exceed $240 million in total” according to ClutchPoints' NBA Insider Brett Siegel. After the Game 4 loss to the Celtics, Siakam briefly talked about his possible future regarding an extension and while he would not go into it, he said being with Indiana has “been a blessing” according to IndyStar.
“Obviously I'm not going to talk about all that,” Siakam said. “All I can say is that it's been a blessing. I'm really appreciative of everything. From where I come from, it means a lot. The support that I've received here is something that I was kind of missing. Having all that and seeing how the city just breathes basketball and how much support they give to the team, just being here, the home games, it's incredible.”
Siakam says the support from Indiana has “been incredible”
In 41 games with the Pacers this season, he averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 54.9 percent from the field. He was also huge for the team in the postseason being a reliable offensive threat against the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, and eventually Boston despite the series sweep.
“The support from the first day has been incredible,” Siakam said. “I couldn't really ask for anything better in terms of support from the first day I got here. I could literally name everyone. … Just so much love and support. Coming from where I came from, I've sacrificed so much in a place. After you have that kind of break up, it's hard. It's tough. Then when you come into here, I think without that support, I don't know how I would do it. I'm so grateful and happy I came to a place where I felt so supported and you feel like you're needed and you matter. As a player, that's all you can ask for. I'm blessed to be able to be here and have the season we had.”
Whether it be for the 76ers, Thunder, or most likely the Pacers, Siakam is sure to be a consistent and calming presence to any team. For the Pacers, they are hoping to retain him next to Tyrese Haliburton and improve off of a sixth seed finish where they had a 47-35 record.
