According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Indiana Pacers have acquired forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors after months of speculation and trade rumors.
BREAKING: The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a trade to acquire All-Star F Pascal Siakam in a deal that will send Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors. New Orleans will be a third team in deal, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 17, 2024
From the Pacers’ perspective, it comes at a heavy price considering that they are sending three future first-round picks and Bruce Brown to the Raptors. However, the move looks to help the team by adding a second star alongside Tyrese Haliburton to the roster for a deep playoff push in the crowded Eastern Conference.
Pascal Siakam trade shakes up Eastern Conference
The move makes the rest of the Eastern Conference’s path to the playoffs a bit tougher. Suddenly, the Pacers are looking to contend as the fourth-best team in the conference. The trade puts pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic to make a move considering all four teams and Indiana are within three games of each other in the standings between the No. 4 and No. 8 seed. On top of that, one of the four teams would likely face the new-look Pacers in the first round of the playoffs if Indiana indeed finishes as the fourth seed.
It also makes the conference semifinals much more interesting because a fourth-place finish for Indiana would line them up to face the Boston Celtics in the second round, should Boston remain the top seed and secure a win in the first round. Indiana and Boston finished 2-2 in their matchups this year and the Pacers are the only team to defeat the Celtics twice so far. It would definitely be a more entertaining and competitive series with Siakam being a more versatile and capable defender against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus being an additional scorer to the NBA’s leading offense.
Pacers can now contend against Bucks, Sixers
If Indiana were to finish as the third seed, it would line them up to face the Milwaukee Bucks or Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. The Pacers had the Bucks’ number this year and defeated them in four out of their five matchups. Similar to Boston, Siakam is another body to throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton and can match well with both of the star forwards.
Against the 76ers, the Pacers have split the season series so far at 1-1. However, the Sixers’ biggest problem continues to be depth and the health of Joel Embiid. Adding Siakam to the frontcourt with Myles Turner can definitely tire out Embiid come playoff time. On top of that, Embiid has a track history of injuries as the playoffs begin and without Embiid, the Pacers’ depth with Siakam would cause nightmares for the 76ers in a series.
The trade makes the Pacers a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference and only adds to what could end up being a competitive and entertaining playoff run.
Jersey swap in cover image via @jerseyxswap on X
