Report: Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers engaged in Pascal Siakam trade talks involving Bruce Brown, three first-round picks
According to a report in The Athletic from Sam Amick and Shams Charania, the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors are engaged in trade talks surrounding Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam.
According to the report, Siakam would go to Indiana while Bruce Brown and three first-round picks would be a part of the package that would be sent to the Raptors. More salary would have to be included from the Pacers to make such a deal legal under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Pacers have been linked to Siakam often in recent months, including multiple reports during Summer League back in July. Those links continued into the ongoing season.
Siakam is, on paper, a wonderful fit with the blue and gold. They hope to get more size and forward depth, and another talented shot creator next to Tyrese Haliburton would make the team significantly better. Siakam is a two-time All-NBA forward who is averaging 22.2 points per game this season.
Indiana needs size and has lost on more than one occasion this season without it, including their most recent defeat. Siakam would give them that and an offensive punch at the same time if acquired. The Pacers and Raptors reportedly talked trades at the recent NBA G League Showcase.
Brown, meanwhile, signed with Indiana in the 2023 offseason on a two-year, $45 million agreement with a team option. It's a very tradeable deal, and Brown has been better of late after recovering from injury with the blue and gold.
"I think Bruce prides himself on being a guy who is resourceful and can adjust to virtually any NBA situation," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said last week.
He has Indiana's largest cap hit right now. Brown is averaging 12.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Pacers.
"The Raptors have been engaged in discussions with several teams on a potential Siakam deal, but conversations with the Pacers have gained steam in recent days, those sources say," the report reads, in part. It adds that the two franchises have gone back-and-forth with trade proposals.
Siakam's contract expires after this season and he will become a free agent unless he gets a contract extension. That's a risk for any team that acquires Siakam, including the Pacers, but Indiana including three first-round picks in a deal — if the reporting is correct — could suggest that they are confident they can retain the talented forward.
The Pacers have all of their own picks as well as some extras, including one additional first-round selection. It is currently not known which picks are in a deal, as well as what protections are on said picks.
Since there would need to be more pieces in a trade, it's plausible more would be coming from Toronto to Indiana, though it may be something incredibly small.
"While the two sides have been described as being far along in the process, according to those sources, they have yet to finalize or agree to a deal," the report reads.
The Pacers are 23-17 while the Raptors are 15-25.
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