How Does Pascal Siakam's Trade To The Indiana Pacers Affect The Miami Heat?
The Toronto Raptors are dishing out another one of their star players, per NBA insiders Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania. Toronto is finalizing a trade sending All-Star forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks.
So, how does this trade affect the Miami Heat?
Siakam averaged over 20 points the last four seasons and is averaging 22.2 this year. But as the No. 1 scoring unit in the league, offensive production isn't where Indiana lacks. They are one of the worst defensive units in the league, tying with the Atlanta Hawks for the second-worst scoring defense.
Siakam can hopefully aid with that as one of the more versatile defenders in the league. He can aid center Myles Turner in the frontcourt, protecting the rim but matching up with guards as well. Siakam will be able to tap more into that role playing on a team generating offense effortlessly. He can still produce as the No. 2 option but he won't need to.
To tie this back to the original question, the Pacers will certainly be a threat to Miami with the addition of Siakam. Indiana is currently only one game behind the Heat for fifth place in the East. The Pacers were already a threat, and now they will draw even more attention with their star acquisition.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
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