Will Brady – January 17 2024
Late Tuesday night, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Pacers and Raptors were closing in on a deal built around star forward Pascal Siakam. On Wednesday, the trade was expanded to include the Pelicans, and then finalized. Here are the exact terms of the deal:
IND IN: F Pascal Siakam, 2024 2nd round pick (via NO, least favorable of NO, CHI)
IND OUT: G Bruce Brown, F Jordan Nwora, 2024 1st round pick, 2026 1st round pick, 2024 1st round pick (via OKC, least favorable of OKC, LAC, UTA, HOU)
TOR IN: G Bruce Brown, F Jordan Nwora, G Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 1st round pick, 2026 1st round pick, 2024 1st round pick (via OKC, least favorable of OKC, LAC, UTA, HOU)
NO IN: None
NO OUT: G Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 2nd round pick (via NO, least favorable of NO, CHI)
TRADE GRADES:
Indiana Pacers: B+
It appears that the presence of Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana has emboldened the Pacers to aggressively pursue external talent. In Siakam, Indiana acquires a 2x All-NBA forward at a position of need. Siakam will immediately take over as their secondary option as both a scorer and playmaker, and he will also provide some size and defensive acumen next to Myles Turner in the Pacers’ frontcourt. He’s not a perfect player, but he does fit extremely well in Indiana. The Pacers ability to space the court, especially at the center spot with Turner, will mitigate Siakam’s shooting deficiencies (31.7% 3FG) and also give him plenty of space to operate as a driver, where he thrives. Additionally, Siakam is a good straight-line athlete who runs the floor hard in transition, which is where Indiana wants to live for the majority of their offensive possessions.
Siakam is an impending free agent, but it’s already been reported that he is likely to re-up with the Pacers over the summer. Indiana has plenty of salary flexibility, as Haliburton is the only significant contract on their books that goes multiple years into the future. Siakam will be 30 next season, so I do have some concerns about signing him at max or near max money into his early 30s. However, Indiana is not a marquee free agent destination, and Siakam is likely a better option than any of the players who might have realistically been available for the Pacers to sign this summer.
Brown is a useful player, but given the nature of the balloon contract he signed this past offseason and his somewhat awkward fit on the Pacers’ roster, it’s reasonable for him to be the primary salary ballast in this trade. The two options were either him or Buddy Hield, and Hield’s shooting ability is probably more essential for the Pacers, especially given Aaron Nesmith’s emergence as a capable small forward who can fill much of Brown’s defensive role on the wing.
Three first round picks seems like a lot on the surface, but none of the picks Indiana gave up are likely to be premium assets. The two 2024 selections both project to be in the late teens, and Indiana surely plans on being a good team in 2026 given that Haliburton will be under contract and in his prime. The Pacers retain control of their draft in the latter half of the decade, and they still have assets to move should they determine that additional trades are necessary.
I don’t think this makes Indiana a championship team, but it does put Indiana on square footing with other mid-tier Eastern conference teams like New York and Cleveland. They are a serious threat to win a playoff round as soon as this season. The Pacers will need continued internal development and some luck, but they are closer to putting a contender around Haliburton today than they were when the season started.
Toronto Raptors: B
After prioritizing a return of young players in the OG Anunoby trade with the Knicks, it makes sense for Toronto to restock their draft coffers with this move. Although he’s been a great Raptor, it was clear that Siakam’s time with the team was coming to an end given his upcoming free agency, and the organization could not afford to let him leave for no return.
Toronto will significantly lessen the sting of sending their own 2024 first rounder to San Antonio (unless it falls within the top 6 selections) by adding a pair of firsts. The 2026 selection is the most valuable asset they will get back in this deal, and they can now dangle that in trade talks as they look to build the team around their new core of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
On the court, Brown provides Toronto with a defensive minded guard who can also help take some of the ball handling and playmaking duties off of Quickley’s plate. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brown take over as the starting two guard in between Quickley and R.J. Barrett, tasked with guarding the opponent’s best on-ball threat. It’s also possible that Toronto looks to flip either Brown or Dennis Schröder, as the two have some overlap in their skill sets and both likely have some value on the trade market. We’ve seen each of those players play big roles on contending teams as recently as last season.
Ultimately, Toronto is now younger, cheaper and better positioned to mold the team around Barnes than they were a few weeks ago. I believe they could have gotten more in return for Siakam if they had moved him at last year’s deadline, which bumps their grade down from a B+ to a B in my book. However, the overall haul they got back for two players who will hit free agency in just a few months time is impressive.
New Orleans Pelicans: D
The Pelicans came into the season slightly above the luxury tax line, so anyone who has followed the way that Gayle Benson has run the team in her time as owner knew that a cost-cutting move was inevitable. Forfeiting Lewis Jr., who has been unable to establish any sort of consistent NBA role in four seasons, is far from a crippling blow. However, it’s hard to find any reason to be positive about sacrificing an asset simply to clear money off the books.
West Coast Hoops 