After rumors and plenty of trade buzz, the Toronto Raptors traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. The package includes Bruce Brown and three first-round picks going to Toronto in the huge blockbuster deal. The New Orleans Pelicans were also involved as a third team in the deal.
After months of discussions, early signs are that Siakam is happy about the deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
‘Pascal Siakam is excited about the deal to the Pacers and expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise this summer, sources tell ESPN. Siakam can be a free agent in July.'
If the Pacers can sign Siakam to a new contract and keep him around, that would be huge for an up-and-coming team in the Eastern Conference. Siakam's agent also released a statement after the deal was announced (h/t Marc Spears):
‘“I’m excited that Pascal is getting a first class opportunity with the Pacers, being paired with Tyrese and Myles and being coached by a great coach in Rick Carlisle. His future their looks bright there,” Pascal Siakam’s agent Todd Ramasar tells @andscape about trade to Pacers.'
Pacers stock trending up after Pascal Siakam deal
The Pacers are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 32-17 record and have won seven of the last 10 games. Tyrese Haliburton is an All-Star caliber player, and now the duo of Haliburton and Siakam will be fun to watch.
Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.2 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists and is expected to be a massive part of the Pacers' run as they try to earn a top spot in the East. The Pacers play on Wednesday against the Miami Heat, but all eyes will be monitoring his status for the next few games to see when he gets to make his Pacers debut.
For those wondering, the Pacers and Raptors play each other on February 14 in Toronto, so that will be Siakam's first game returning to the Raptors arena. After that, they face one another on February 26 in Indiana and then one more time in Toronto on April 9.