The Indiana Pacers made the first splashy move of 2024, acquiring two-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors for Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., Jordan Nwora, two 2024 1st-round picks and a conditional 1st-round pick in 2026. In Siakam, the Pacers are adding a versatile forward who has a Most Improved Player Award and NBA championship on his resume, and is one of only four players in the league who have averaged at least 20 points, six rebounds and three assists in each of the last five seasons. Still, there were signs that the 29-year-old Siakam could be on the decline, which explains why the Pacers didn't need to give up any of their young assets along with draft picks in the deal for him. Regardless of how you feel about Siakam as a player, the move itself signifies that the Indiana Pacers, In-Season Tournament runners-up, intend to be aggressive, and whether or not a window actually is open, Rick Carlisle, Tyrese Haliburton, and co. could be trying to force one open.
Right now, the public perception of the Indiana Pacers is quite high. “Rival executives applauded Indiana’s ability to retain young assets Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, and Ben Sheppard, along with the expiring contract of Buddy Hield,” writes Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. With that said, the way Scotto and many others see it, the arrival of Siakam now puts the Pacers in the position where there are simply too many players on the roster who need minutes.
“The result, however, creates a logjam within Indiana’s frontcourt, with Jalen Smith, Toppin, and Walker competing for limited playing time behind Siakam. Given Indiana’s newfound front court conundrum and the notion outside the organization that Hield would eventually be moved to give Mathurin, Nembhard, and Sheppard more playing time looking ahead, rival executives believe the Pacers could make another trade to bolster their team before the deadline.”
Could Indiana be in the Zach LaVine business? Chicago has been rumored to be contemplating moving LaVine, and a package of Buddy Hield, TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin gets you there from a salary standpoint. From a fit perspective, giving Tyrese Haliburton shiny new toys in LaVine and Siakam should be a match made in basketball heaven, especially if LaVine can get his catch-and-shoot three-point percentage back up to over 40 percent, which is where it's been each of the previous four seasons.
A cheaper, younger, and I'd argue, a potentially more amenable option would be sending Benedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, and Jalen Smith to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges and Royce O'Neale's expiring contract. The same deal works with Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard in place of Mathurin and Smith.
These aren't the only two options the Pacers will have. With a stockpile of intriguing young assets at different positions across the board, Indiana could end up making a second splashy move sometime in the next few weeks.
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