Pascal Siakam has been wearing the Toronto Raptors jersey since 2016. Now the 29-year-old is moving away from Canada, as the Raptors have agreed on a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers
This is reported by the two NBA insiders Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN) and Shams Charania (“The Athletic”). According to the report, the Pacers are sending Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks back to Toronto in return. Two of them are said to be for the 2024 draft, one for 2026. The third team involved in the deal is the New Orleans Pelicans, who are giving up Kira Lewis to Toronto and a second-round pick to the Pacers, bringing them under the luxury tax threshold.
Maximum contract in the summer?
One of the reasons for Siakam’s trade may be that the 29-year-old’s contract expires after the season and the Raptors are said to have been unwilling to meet his salary expectations. Siakam, who is earning around 38 million dollars this season, probably wants to sign a maximum contract in the summer.
In recent days, there have been numerous rumors about Siakam’s services, including that the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings were in negotiations about a possible trade. The Pacers have now finally won the bid.
“I’m excited that Pascal is getting a first-class opportunity with the Pacers to play with Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner and be coached by a great coach like Rick Carlisle,” Siakam’s agent Todd Ramasar was quoted as saying by ESPN.
NBA champion of 2019
Siakam is a star in the league. The Cameroonian international was selected 27th in the 2016 draft and became an NBA champion in 2019 alongside Kawhi Leonard, among others. Siakam is a two-time All-Star (2020 and 2023) and was named “Most Improved Player” in the 2019 title season. This season, the power forward is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
While the Pacers, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, continue to strengthen themselves, Dennis Schröder’s Raptors are pushing ahead with their rebuild. Siakam is now the second player to leave the franchise in a short space of time. They had already dealt OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks a few weeks ago
