Should the Pacers Extend Pascal Siakam?

During the offseason the Pacers have more decisions to make than just building around the roster they've already put in place. Ten players on the roster are eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and the most notable of the ten is the nine-year pro, Pascal Siakam.

According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the max salary the Pacers could sign Siakam to is roughly $207M over the next three-years. That would put Siakam at an average annual salary of $69M per year, which is between $16-17M more than what he will make on the final year of his current deal.

While Pascal Siakam is a great player, I don't see a world where the Pacers would be willing to pay a player at the age of thirty-seven $69M. The reported number is just the maximum the Pacers could give to Siakam, but it doesn't mean that is what they have to offer him in negotiations.

Pascal Siakam will have just turned thirty-four at the end of his current deal. If he is able to sustain a high-level of play over the next two seasons, it would make sense for the Pacers to want to retain him and open up this two year window into a longer period of time.

Tony East of Locked on Pacers made a great point when he said that the Pacers might want to align Siakam's time under contract with Tyrese Haliburton's current deal. Haliburton has three more years left on his contract, so that means the Pacers could offer Siakam a one-year extension. This makes sense not only financially for the Pacers from a team building standpoint, but for Siakam if he wants to remain with the Pacers past the current contract he's on.

Indiana could also look to give Siakam a one plus one type of extension where there is a team or player option on the second year. Depending on what the Pacers offer is to Siakam, I think an option makes sense.

If Indiana were to give Siakam the max extension of $69M per year, they could tack on a team option for one more season and determine whether or not they feel like the window of contention with this core is still alive. This would give Indiana leverage to extend this two year window out for two more seasons, but the optionality to close it after three years.

As an All-NBA player, Siakam would likely push hard against a team option to maintain control of his own salary. This is why having a player option for that second year makes sense, even if Siakam would like to have more stability as he ages.

Final Thoughts

I wouldn't be surprised if the Pacers felt that extending Siakam would be best for their team this offseason. He is a terrific player who took them to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, and won the Eastern Conference MVP last postseason.

He is a leader of this team and his game will age nicely as he isn't solely dependant upon his athleticism. With great skills, a high basketball IQ, a reliable jump shot, and strong defensive instincts, Siakam should be capable of playing at a max extension level for multiple years.

The only hiccup is the finances and how the Pacers want to build this roster two years from now. While an extension is possible, the Pacers could wait to extend Siakam in the 2027 offseason, He feels like the most likely of the extension eligible players to get extended, but I would be shocked if it were more than two years.

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