The Indiana Pacers had been aggressively pursuing Toronto Raptors two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam leading up to the NBA trade deadline. A deal is now being finalized to send Siakam to the Pacers.

In exchange for the All-Star power forward, the Raptors will receive Bruce Brown Jr., Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks from the Pacers, first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The New Orleans Pelicans are also being included in this trade and are sending former first-round pick Kira Lewis Jr. to the Raptors.

The Pacers are sending two first-round picks in 2024 as well as a 2026 first-round pick to the Raptors for Siakam. A second-round pick from New Orleans will be going to the Pacers as part of this three-team deal.

Along with their own 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, the Pacers are shipping the worst of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Utah Jazz 2024 first-round pick to the Raptors as a result of previous trades made. The Pacers' 2026 first-round pick going to Toronto contains 1-4 protections.

The Raptors now enter a new era, one that features Chris Boucher as the only remaining player from their 2019 championship roster. Siakam spent the first seven seasons of his career in Toronto, not including this season, and departs fifth on the franchise's all-time scoring list behind DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Chris Bosh, and Vince Carter. Already trading OG Anunoby a few weeks back, Raptors executive Masai Ujiri has once again made a move to accumulate future assets.

Brown joins RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as new faces in Toronto for the time being. Recently signing a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers this offseason, Brown is eligible to be traded once again for more value upon the trade with the Pacers and Pelicans being approved by the league.

However, the Raptors will not be allowed to include additional players in a possible second trade involving Brown. Several playoff-contending teams will likely show interest in the Raptors' new swingman ahead of the trade deadline in February.

For the Pelicans, being involved in this trade simply provides cap relief. As a result of moving Lewis to Toronto, New Orleans is able to save themselves $18 million by moving below the luxury-tax line, according to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks. The Pelicans had been searching for a way to move Lewis in recent weeks leading up to Wednesday's blockbuster trade.

Siakam, 29, now embarks on a new journey with the Pacers, one in which he immediately steps into a massive role with a team in playoff contention. While Haliburton recently injured his hamstring, the Pacers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2023-24 season. Currently 23-17 on the season, Indiana has positioned themselves to compete for an actual playoff spot as well as home-court advantage in a potential first-round series.

After making it all the way to the championship game of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan and team president Kevin Pritchard decided to seek immediate action in terms of building around Haliburton. Siakam, who is in the final year of his contract, now figures to be the perfect All-Star acquisition for the Pacers' foreseeable future.

“I’m excited that Pascal is getting a first-class opportunity with the Pacers, being paired with Tyrese and Myles [Turner] and being coached by a great coach in Rick Carlisle. His future there looks bright there,” Siakam’s agent Todd Ramasar of Life Sports Agency told Marc J. Spears of ESPN's Andscape.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Siakam appears likely to remain with the Pacers.