As the NBA trade deadline inched closer, the odds of Pascal Siakam being traded by the Toronto Raptors increased. On Wednesday afternoon, Siakam's tenure with the organization he was drafted by in 2016 came to an end.
The Raptors agreed to a three-team trade with the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans, sending Siakam to the Pacers to team up with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. In a massive blockbuster trade, the Pacers are sending Bruce Brown Jr., Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks to Toronto in exchange for Siakam.
The Pelicans, who are set to receive cap relief from this trade, dealt former first-round pick Kira Lewis Jr. to the Pacers in one transaction, followed by Lewis being included in the package going from the Pacers to the Raptors.
Siakam has been the focal point in all trade conversations over the last month. When the Raptors decided to move on from OG Anunoby, dealing him to the Knicks in a package that included RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the noise surrounding Siakam being moved continued to increase. Now, a new era has begun in Toronto, one that is highlighted by Barrett, Quickley, 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, and a handful of upcoming draft picks.
Spending the first seven years of his career with the Raptors and winning a championship with the organization in 2019, Siakam now departs Toronto ranked fifth on the team's all-time scoring list. Known for his scoring and facilitating abilities at the power forward position, Siakam fills a hole with Indiana that has existed for quite some time. Not only have the Pacers been searching for a second star, but they have been doing so in hopes of finding a reliable forward.
Now, they have said player that can help them make it back to the playoffs, potentially making some noise after reaching the championship game of the very first NBA In-Season Tournament earlier this season.
Pacers finally land Pascal Siakam
Out of all the teams that were pursuing Siakam, the Pacers always appeared to be the most motivated when it came to actually giving up future assets. It is clear that Siakam was the name at the top of Indiana's wish list heading into the trade deadline. With Haliburton, Siakam will continue to play at a high level and thrive offensively alongside a true playmaker.
The Pacers, a team that has proven to have taken a massive step in the right direction this season, now have a core group that they can continue to build with for the foreseeable future. Despite being in the final year of his contract, it does appear as if Siakam and his camp view Indiana as a long-term home.
“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.
While three first-round picks is a high price to pay for a player who could always look to sign elsewhere in free agency, the important part of this trade is that the Pacers held onto Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker, two players the Raptors were initially asking for in discussions. Siakam is a massive upgrade in the frontcourt, Mathurin can step into a much bigger role on the wing, and the Pacers, who rank first in the league in offensive rating, just got better on offense.
Truly not giving up much value from a player perspective, this was an amazing deal made by the Pacers.
Grading Pascal Siakam trade for Pacers, Raptors, Pelicans
Very rarely do we see trades made where all parties benefit, especially when it comes to multi-team deals. However, the Pacers may have yet again executed a trade in which all parties got what they needed.
Indiana wanted Siakam, they did not want to give up any of their youthful, high-potential players, and they were at peace with the idea of sacrificing draft capital for a player like Siakam. The Pacers accomplished all of this.
For the Raptors, moving Siakam appeared to be inevitable leading up to the trade deadline seeing as contract extension talks went nowhere and the All-Star was giving signs that he was prepared to leave in free agency. So, Masai Ujiri and Toronto's front office turned him into cap relief and three first-round picks. Bruce Brown, who the Raptors get from the Pacers, can also still be flipped for even more value. To get three first-round picks, two of which are in 2024, for an expiring contract is amazing work by Ujiri.
The Pelicans really did not contribute anything to this trade. They gave up Kira Lewis Jr. to the Raptors, giving Toronto a chance to see if the young guard can fit in their system. In return, New Orleans saved themselves $18 million by moving below the luxury tax, according to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks. This was the Pelicans' main goal ahead of the deadline, which now allows them to possibly go out and explore options to improve their roster further.
Pacers trade grade: A
Raptors trade grade: A-
Pelicans trade grade: A-
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