Raptors trade Pascal Siakam to Pacers for Bruce Brown, 3 firsts

The Indiana Pacers and TorontoRaptors have completed a deal that will send forward Pascal Siakamto Indiana, according to Adrian Wojnarowski ofESPN.

The deal sends the two-timeAll-Star and All-NBA selection to the Pacers, while Torontoreceives Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks. TheRaptors will also receive Kira Lewis from the New Orleans Pelicans,who will send a second-round pick to the Pacers.

This news comes after theSacramento Kings backed out of the Siakam sweepstakes after heshowed little interest in re-signing with the team after theseason.

Siakam, who is earning $29million this year, is set to be an unrestricted free agent thissummer. He's reportedly open to staying in Indiana beyond thisseason.

Tyrese Haliburton notablylobbied for stars to join him in Indy, and the Pacers just addedone who should fit perfectly alongside their young star.

Siakam is averaging 22 pointsand should help a Pacers' offense that's already ranked No. 1 inthe league and gets out in transition, while also adding anotherdimension by producing in the halfcourt. In a potential playoffsetting where teams shrink the floor and defenses get tighter andprevent teams from getting out in the open court, the Pacers canbenefit from Siakam’s half-court creation.

Indiana dealing Brown comes assomewhat of a surprise since the Pacers just signed the 6-foot-4guard/forward to a three-year, $60 million deal over theoffseason. Brown, a 2023 NBAchampion with the Denver Nuggets, is currently averaging 12.1points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

The Pacers are currently 23-17,which is tied for the sixth-best record in the EasternConference.