Exactly one year ago today, the Toronto Raptors parted ways with their star Cameroonian forward, Pascal Siakam. He had broken out to become a focal point on a championship roster, with a list of further Raptors accomplishments. However, Siakam also struggled to lead the team back to prominence in the years that followed.
Add to that a dwindling Raptors roster, which featured a star for the future in Scottie Barnes and a mix of talent in the middle of their primes, including Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., and OG Anunoby. It soon became apparent that Toronto was shifting their focus to a rebuild rather than continuing the chase for a play-in spot or a middle-pack finish in the Eastern Conference standings.
Siakam needed to be traded, especially considering that in the 2024 offseason he would be due for a new contract extension, and it was clear Toronto wasn’t going to be the one to offer him his desired asking price. It was a sad reality to accept, but a business move that was necessary to bring the Toronto Raptors into a new generation.
The exact details of the trade were as follows:
Raptors receive:
- Bruce Brown (via Pacers)
- Kira Lewis (via Pelicans)
- Jordan Nwora (via Pacers)
- Two 2024 first-round picks (via Pacers)
- Conditional 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers)
Pacers receive:
- Pascal Siakam (via Raptors)
- Future second-round pick (via Pelicans)
Evaluating the Indiana Pacers-Pascal Siakam trade after one year
Let's first look at the Pacers' side of things. The Pacers were desperately seeking an additional star to pair with their franchise point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, and a talented cast of role players. Siakam presented a tremendous opportunity for a small-market team to acquire a former All-Star and ex-All-NBA talent.
Siakam's addition in January gave the Pacers an extra edge in the latter half of the 2023-24 NBA season, where they ultimately made a playoff push all the way to the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, unfortunately falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in four games.
It certainly looked like a promising core when Indiana decided to resign Siakam to a four-year extension worth $189.5 million. However, early on in this season, it appeared that the Pacers had regressed a bit, struggling to find momentum and experiencing a surprise decline in the performance of Tyrese Haliburton. Fortunately for Indiana, they were able to turn things around and find success once again. Currently, they hold the 6th seed in the East, a position that mirrors last year's finish.
Furthermore, the second-round pick involved in the Pacers' haul eventually became the 50th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which was used on Enrique Freeman, who has been in and out of the rotation as a reserve this year.
To be completely blunt, as great a player as Siakam is, his addition didn't exactly move the needle in a championship push. They got close, sure, but the current Pacers roster could definitely use another big-time player to get them over the hump.
They have the right idea and definitely possess strong talent, but the job isn't finished. It would be hard to see them overcoming the East and winning a title anytime soon, so their ceiling might be low; however, as far as a regular-season unit goes, their floor is quite strong. Be that as it may, Indiana acquired a great NBA player at a very economical cost; you can't knock them for it at all.
Grade (Indiana Pacers): A
Now comes the sad part: it's time to discuss how the Siakam deal has turned out for the Toronto Raptors a year later.
Before Siakam was ultimately traded to Indiana, there were a myriad of rumored suitors circulating, including the Atlanta Hawks and the Sacramento Kings. Perhaps some Raptors fans were getting a little too ahead of themselves, but names such as Jalen Johnson and Keegan Murray were being thrown out there.
If Siakam had been locked down contractually, perhaps Masai Ujiri's Midas touch could have enticed those players away in a potential deal. However, the Raptors were dealt a weak hand because Siakam would be due a hefty contract in the offseason. No team is going to give up significant assets like that for what could turn out to be a one-year rental, so Siakam got dealt out for a lot less.
Masai Ujiri was unable to work his Raptors trade magic in a Siakam deal
What stung more for Toronto is that they weren't even able to snag either Bennedict Mathurin or Jarace Walker in this deal, as Indiana was firm on retaining those young assets. Instead, they ended up with Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis, and Jordan Nwora, along with some draft capital.
Nwora had a solid half-season run in Toronto before departing for the EuroLeague this past offseason; Lewis was rerouted a month later in February to Utah; and Brown hasn't been an impressive Raptor in the slightest.
On the bright side, the 2024 first-round pick eventually became the 19th overall selection, Ja'Kobe Walter, who, although experiencing some rookie efficiency woes, has a lot of upside as a key asset in the Raptors' rebuild. Without a doubt, Toronto maximized what they could with that pick. The other 2024 first-round pick was dealt to Utah in a trade for Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, which ultimately turned out to be Isaiah Collier at 29th overall.
The 2026 first-round pick could be intriguing if Indiana experiences playoff disappointment this year and next, but that would merely be betting on their downfall. A more likely scenario is that Indiana remains in the middle of the pack until 2026, with the selection falling around the 15-20 pick mark.
As far as mere players returned, it's clear as day that Toronto got the short end of the stick without question. If the Raptors can somehow maximize Brown's expiring deal before the trade deadline for additional assets, then it adds another layer to this trade in hindsight. But with the way he's been playing, it's going to be a little tough.
Comparing this Pacers trade to the one Toronto pulled off with the Knicks a couple of weeks prior to it is like night and day. Maybe the Raptors were limited in this trade and had to settle for significantly less, but there's also much to suggest they waited too long to finalize a Siakam deal, which ultimately came at a cost. It's not a generational fumble, as some would say, but rather a miscalculation.
Grade (Toronto Raptors): B