It’s been an exciting year for the Indiana Pacers. As of this writing, they’ve just advanced to the finals of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.
This team was overlooked throughout the summer. Suddenly, we’re paying attention to them. Tyrese Haliburton knows it. He wants the Pacers to hunt for his new co-star. Haliburton wants to build a contender in Indiana.
The Pacers look like a strong candidate to make a splashy trade as the 2023-24 season progresses. What type of player should they target? In all likelihood, they should be looking at a 4. The Pacers need a player at that position.
How about Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors?
NBA Trade Proposal: Indiana Pacers Land Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam
Toronto Raptors Receive: G/F Buddy Hield, G T.J. McConnell, G/F Bennedict Mathurin, 2025 First-Round Pick (IND), 2027 First-Round Pick (IND)
Indiana Pacers Receive: F/C Pascal Siakam
By contrast, there’s not a lot of excitement around the Raptors. This team was mediocre last season, and they haven’t made much progress.
Losing Fred VanVleet and hiring a new coach didn’t do much to change their outlook. For that reason, the Raptors have been the subject of plenty of trade rumors.
They were expected to make a move at last year’s deadline, and nothing has changed. With that said, they were actually buyers at last year’s deadline. Do the Raptors have a philosophical opposition to rebuilding?
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers Updates
Time will tell. It’s equally possible that the Raptors are simply patient when it comes to making trades. If that’s the case, their patience should be running thin – this team has to do something.
Is trading Siakam the right move?
Why The Toronto Raptors Do The Deal
Absolutely. We’ve been over this. Siakam is redundant alongside Scottie Barnes. Barnes is the future of the franchise. If Toronto hangs onto Siakam after this year’s deadline, they’ve made a mistake.
What should they seek for him? That’s a more interesting question. If the Raptors want more draft capital, they could decline this deal.
On the other hand, if they want an intriguing young player, this could be the deal for them. After all, Mathurin has flashed some star potential during his brief time in Indiana.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers Updates
The fact that he’s Canadian doesn’t hurt either – if Mathurin breaks out in Toronto, the organization should be able to retain him.
Should the Pacers part with him?
Why The Indiana Pacers Do The Deal
Mathurin has flashed star potential. Still, as the Pacers move towards win-now mode, he’s becoming a less attractive option. This franchise looks less concerned with developing players and more concerned with winning games.
Siakam could help them do that. He’s an elite two-way wing, and that’s the type of player that the Pacers are missing. They’ve got an elite offense and a porous defense.
Pairing Siakam with Myles Turner in the frontcourt ought to help them defensively, and he should make their already strong offense even stronger. Losing Hield may sting on a short-term basis.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers Updates
Still, he’s due for an extension this summer – the Pacers aren’t likely to retain him this summer anyway. In any event, Siakam is a substantial upgrade. He should make this season even more exciting for Indiana.
