Grading Raptors-Pacers Blockbuster Pascal Siakam Deal Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline

Grading Raptors-Pacers Blockbuster Pascal Siakam Deal Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline0 of 3

Myles Turner and Pascal SiakamRon Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images

Fewer than 24 hours after The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported that the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors were close to a deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Pascal Siakam is indeed heading to Indy.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnBREAKING: 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.

Later reporting from both confirmed the details. The Pacers will get Siakam, while the Raptors will get Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks (Indiana’s own 2024 first, the lesser of a first-round pick from Utah, Houston, the Clippers or Oklahoma City in 2024 and Indiana’s own 2026 pick).

The deal also includes Kira Lewis going to the Raptors and a second-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans going to the Pacers.

And now that the dust is settling on all of the above, it’s time for the tried-and-true report card for everyone involved. Below, you’ll find A-F grades for the Pacers, Raptors and even the Pelicans.

Pacers: B+1 of 3

Pascal SiakamAlex Goodlett/Getty Images

Let’s get the pessimistic side of this analysis out of the way first.

Siakam turns 30 in April. He’s a career 32.7 percent three-point shooter. His overall scoring efficiency has been well below average over the four-and-a-half seasons since Kawhi Leonard left the Raptors. Also, he’s unrestricted free agent this summer.

With that context in mind, three first-rounders, even if the one in 2026 is top-four-protected, feels like a lot.

But even if there’s no guarantee he’ll re-sign with Indiana, Siakam is reportedly “expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise.”

And he’s undoubtedly a short-term upgrade over Brown.

Siakam is four inches taller, has made two All-NBA teams and has averaged at least 21 points and four assists in each of his past four seasons. He’ll put pressure on opposing defenses in a way Indiana simply hasn’t been able to from the frontcourt this season.

Additionally, he’s never played with a creator like Tyrese Haliburton before (most haven’t). Instead of having to isolate and spam the spin button—as he often did in Toronto—Siakam will get multiple stress-free finishing opportunities set up by Haliburton in Indiana.

That alone could juice his sometimes underwhelming efficiency marks, but he’ll also be able to play in plenty of lineups with four shooters, thanks in large part to the range of center Myles Turner.

With the floor spaced the way Indiana can space it (the Pacers are sixth in both threes per 100 possessions and three-point percentage, despite Brown’s struggles from deep this season), Siakam should have wider and more luxurious driving lanes than he typically experienced in Toronto.

The upgrade in size should help on the defensive end, too.

Siakam has an above-average defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices) this season, but just having a 6’8″ forward with a 7’3″ wingspan alongside Turner in the starting five could lead to a greater impact than that. Those two will be able to cover a lot of ground and disrupt passing lanes on defense.

Of course, given the strength at the top of the Eastern Conference, this deal certainly doesn’t guarantee Indiana will win a playoff series. A quick postseason flameout coming right before Siakam bolts in free agency would make this trade look like a disaster.

But those hypotheticals are way off in the distance.

Indiana has one of the three or four best point guards in the NBA right now. Haliburton is an offensive engine unto himself, and he’s made the Pacers competitive earlier than most could’ve expected.

Justifying a win-now move, even if it carries some risk with it, isn’t hard.

Raptors: A2 of 3

Scottie BarnesMelissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Sort of the inverse of the preamble on the Pacers slide applies here.

Given Siakam’s age, contract situation and scoring efficiency (or inefficiency, I suppose), getting three first-rounders for him feels like an obvious win.

Sure, it’d be preferrable if one of those picks came in 2025, when Cooper Flagg will be available, but three bites at the first-round apple is good. Siakam was the 27th pick and another reminder that talent can be found in random years and draft spots.

This deal also further clears the deck for the Scottie Barnes era.

The Raptors are now very much his team, and the organization suddenly has an infusion of both young talent (thanks to Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett coming over in the OG Anunoby deal and this one including Nwora and Lewis) and picks with which to build around him.

Trading Brown (who’s making $22 million this season and has a team option for $23 million in 2024-25) isn’t off the table either. A contender in need of a little toughness and versatility may be willing to part with another rebuild-friendly asset for him between now and the trade deadline.

Either way, he’s far less of a potential financial burden than Siakam, who’ll likely command a long-term contract at a salary figure much higher than Brown’s this summer.

All told, given where Toronto is as a franchise right now and what it already got for Anunoby, it has absolutely nailed the start of this reboot.

Pelicans: B3 of 3

Kira Lewis Jr.Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

At first glance, the New Orleans Pelicans’ involvement here was a bit of a head-scratcher, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks and the Times-Picayune’s Christian Clark shed some light.

According to Marks, the trade actually broke down into two separate deals. Clark explained that the move got the Pelicans under the luxury tax line and saved them $18 million.

Christian Clark @cclark_13Maybe there’s a day when it’s time to get the pitchforks out about not paying the luxury tax, but I don’t think it’s today. Getting under the tax line nets the Pelicans around $18 million, as Bobby Marks pointed out. Would expect New Orleans to be active ahead of deadline too.

For a small-market team that’s probably not a title contender right now, that’s a reasonable goal, and New Orleans just achieved it.

The Pelicans still don’t get an A, though. As Clark alluded, there’s also reason to complain about this move if you’re a New Orleans fan. Giving up a 22-year-old talent (and a second-round pick) just to save some money might be a tough pill to swallow for those not signing the checks.