Pacers Rumors

Minimum Game Requirement For Awards Looms Large For Super-Max Candidates

January 20th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed back in September, there are several players around the NBA who would benefit financially from making an All-NBA team or winning a Most Valuable Player of Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023/24.

Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray are among the players who would become eligible to sign a super-max (Designated Veteran) contract during the 2024 offseason by earning one of those honors this season.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could ensure they become eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2025 by making this year’s All-NBA team. Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could do the same by winning a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.

Additionally, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball signed maximum-salary rookie scale extensions that will be worth 30% of next season’s salary cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team this spring. These “Rose Rule” contracts are essentially “mini” super-max deals.

Not all of those 10 players look like legitimate All-NBA, MVP, or DPOY candidates this season, but many of them will be in the mix. However, as Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks write at ESPN.com, the newly implemented 65-game minimum requirement for award winners looms large for this group.

Without appearing in 65 games (including at least 63 of 20-plus minutes and two of 15-plus minutes), these players will be ineligible to earn an All-NBA spot, and without that end-of-season honor, they won’t be in position to receive a higher maximum salary.

According to Bontemps and Marks, a player who misses more than 17 of his team’s games, falling short of appearing in the required 65, can technically still qualify for award recognition, but only in very specific scenarios:

If the player appeared in at least 62 games (and 85% of his team’s games to that point) and then suffers a season-ending injury.
If the player files a grievance and presents “clear and convincing evidence” that his team limited his games or his minutes with the intention of depriving him of award eligibility.

While there’s also a clause for “extraordinary circumstances,” the NBA and NBPA don’t expect that clause to apply to injury absences, since it would essentially defeat the purpose of the rule, per ESPN’s duo.

Of the 10 players mentioned above, one is already ineligible for a major end-of-season award — Ball has appeared in just 19 of the Hornets’ first 39 games due to an ankle injury, so even if he doesn’t miss a game for the rest of the season, he’ll max out at 62 appearances. Given Charlotte’s spot in the standings, Ball would have been an All-NBA long shot anyway, but he has been playing at a very high level when he’s been healthy.

The 65-game mark remains within reach for the rest of this group, though some players can’t really afford any sort of extended absence. Adebayo, for instance, has missed 10 of Miami’s 42 games so far and only logged 12 minutes in an 11th, which means it won’t count toward his 65. Seven more missed games would cost him his award eligibility.

Murray is in a similar spot — he has missed 14 of Denver’s 43 games and played just 10 minutes in a 15th, so three more missed games would make him ineligible for award consideration.

Doncic has missed seven games for the Mavericks, while Fox has missed six for the Kings, so they’re on pace to play in enough games, but if either player turns an ankle or tweaks a hamstring and is forced to the sidelines for a couple weeks, he’d be in trouble.

It looked like that might happen with Haliburton, who sat out just three of the Pacers’ first 36 games, then strained his hamstring earlier this month. He was expected to be unavailable for at least a couple weeks, but returned to action on Friday night, ahead of schedule, after missing just five contests.

Haliburton is a legitimate All-NBA candidate and would be in line for a projected $41MM pay increase across his five-year extension if he earns one of those 15 spots. Were those financial considerations a factor in his early return to action? Would he still have been inactive on Friday if that 65-game minimum weren’t in play?

It’s hard to imagine the Pacers allowing their franchise player to risk potential re-injury by coming back too early, but Haliburton certainly has a ton of motivation to play in every game he can this year.

As Howard Beck of The Ringer writes, that 65-game minimum will be a fascinating subplot to follow in the second half of the season. Although we’ve focused here on players whose future earnings could be directly tied to whether or not they claim an end-of-season award, there are many other potential All-NBA candidates who may fall short of 65 games, changing the equation for voters.

Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, and Lauri Markkanen are among the stars who have been out for eight or more games so far this season, Beck observes. Kevin Durant has missed seven.

The 65-game minimum isn’t necessary to earn votes for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or an All-Rookie spot, but the other major awards require at least 65 appearances.

In 2023, five of the 15 players who made an All-NBA team appeared in fewer than 65 games, but that won’t be the case in 2024. The players who have the most riding on All-NBA honors from a financial perspective may be the ones most motivated to stay on the court, but as Adebayo points out, you “can’t stop injuries from happening.”

“God forbid nobody gets hurt, but you can’t [prevent] injury,” he said, per Bontemps and Marks. “I think it’s crazy that we even have the rule. It’s one of those things where you just accept the rule. … I guess use your 17 games as wisely as possible.”

And-Ones: Yabusele, All-Stars, Shannon, Awards

January 20th, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele, currently a member of Real Madrid, likely won’t be looking to return stateside anytime in the near future, he said in an interview with French outlet L’Equipe.

“I would like to return to the NBA, but I play for the best team in Europe and win championships,” Yabusele said (hat tip to Eurohoops). “Why would I leave that to sit on a bench? I will join the French National Team after the end of the season this summer, so I am waiting for the Olympics, not the NBA.”

The 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Yabusele joined the Celtics in 2017 and spent two seasons in Boston, appearing in 74 total games and seeing limited action. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per contest.

The 6’8″ forward, who is now 28, has had more success since returning to Europe in 2020. Yabusele won a French League (LNB Pro A) title with ASVEL in 2021, a Spanish League (Liga ACB) title with Real Madrid in 2022, and a EuroLeague championship in 2023 while playing a key role for his teams.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Zach Harper of The Athletic previews what this year’s All-Star rosters might look like and considers which players could be left on the outside looking in. The Western Conference backcourt will be especially competitive, according to Harper, who suggests that star guards like Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox aren’t locks to be All-Stars.
A federal judge reinstated Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr. on Friday, ending his suspension and ruling that the university had violated his civil rights by depriving him of “protected property interests” without due process, according to John O’Connor of The Associated Press. Shannon, who had been considered a probable first-round pick in the 2024 draft, was suspended indefinitely by Illinois after being accused of rape last month.
Dan Devine of The Ringer picks his award winners for the first half of the 2023/24 season, including narrowly choosing Sixers star Joel Embiid over Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the MVP so far.
John Hollinger of The Athletic poses a few questions for the Pacers and Raptors in the wake of their Pascal Siakam blockbuster, including what Siakam’s next contract will look like and whether Toronto will look to tank in the second half in an effort to hang onto its top-six protected first-round pick for 2024.

Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Siakam, Turner, Carlisle

January 19th, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will return to action on Friday vs. Portland after missing the past five games with a hamstring strain, he announced on Twitter.

Haliburton is ahead of schedule, as he was originally expected to miss at least a couple weeks. At the time, there was a sense of relief that the injury, which he sustained vs. Boston on January 8, was not more serious.

The 12th pick of the 2020 draft, Haliburton has been one of the standout players of the 2023/24 season thus far, leading the NBA by averaging 12.5 assists per game while only turning the ball over 2.6 times a night, an elite 4.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

In addition to his terrific vision, basketball IQ and passing ability, Haliburton is also an extremely efficient scorer, averaging a career-best 23.6 PPG on .497/.403/.868 shooting in 33 games this season (33.4 MPG).

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported on Thursday (Twitter link) that Pascal Siakam was expected to make his Pacers debut in Portland on Friday and that will indeed be the case, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The two-time All-NBA forward was recently acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Raptors.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Multiple reports indicated that Siakam was enthusiastic about the opportunity to play with Haliburton, and Wojnarowski said on his podcast that star players around the league admire the guard’s “unselfish” game, suggesting it could be a key to future roster upgrades (hat tip to Evan Sidery). “They look at how much fun it is to play there,” Wojnarowski said. “How much fun (Haliburton) is to play with. How unselfish he is. And it sometimes allows you to play up in class in terms of your market. He makes up for the difference that a Midwestern market might’ve had trouble keeping the guy.”
Count Myles Turner among the players excited about Siakam’s addition, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “Everybody sees this as a win-now move,” Turner said. “It’s an exciting move and a big move at the same time just to have someone who’s an All-Star and a 20-point-a-night scorer come into an organization like this, especially one that’s building and trying to get to a place that he’s been before (winning a championship).”
Head coach Rick Carlisle also spoke about Siakam on Thursday, as Dopirak relays. “We like him very much,” Carlisle said. “Been a long-time admirer. He has some unique skills for the 4 position. I even believe he can play some 3. I know he can play some small ball 5. I’ve just heard many, many great things about him as a person, as a professional, as a worker, as a teammate. Obviously, he’s been named to multiple All-Stars, multiple all-leagues, he’s done it at a high level. We think we’re getting him at a perfect time in his career.”

Pacers Sign James Johnson To 10-Day Contract

January 19th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have re-signed veteran forward James Johnson, but this time he’ll receive a 10-day contract instead of a rest-of-season deal, the team announced in a press release.

Indiana waived Johnson a couple days ago in order to create roster space to acquire fourth-year guard Kira Lewis, who was immediately flipped to Toronto as a salary-matching piece for two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam.

The Pacers had two open 15-man roster spots after sending out three players (Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora were the others) for Siakam — one of those spots will be going to Johnson.

The move was expected, as Tony East of SI.com reported shortly after Johnson was released that the team planned to bring him back if he cleared waivers.

Inking Johnson to a 10-day contract will give Indiana roster flexibility in the event of more trades ahead of the February 8 deadline. As our tracker shows, the 15-year veteran is the sixth player to sign a 10-day deal this season.

Technically, the Pacers are paying Johnson twice right now, as his previous contract was guaranteed after he remained on the roster through the cut-down deadline earlier this month. The dead money cap hit for that deal is about $1.4MM.

Johnson, who has played for 10 different NBA teams, averaged 4.8 minutes per game across five appearances in 2023/24. The 36-year-old played 18 games for the Pacers last season.

His on-court contributions have been modest the past two seasons, but clearly the Pacers value Johnson’s leadership and professionalism, which is why they keep bringing him back.

Trade Rumors: Bucks, Murray, Nets, Sixers, Brown, Heat, More

January 19th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are among the teams registering interest in trading for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). Haynes’ report doesn’t include any details beyond that, so it’s unclear what sort of package a Bucks team short on trade assets might be willing to offer for Murray.

It’s safe to assume Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard aren’t going anywhere, which means a Milwaukee offer would need to be built around either Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, or, more likely, a Bobby Portis/Pat Connaughton combo. No other players on the roster earn enough to viably match Murray’s $18MM+ salary (a package that includes only one of Portis or Connaughton could technically work, but would need to be at least a four-for-one or five-for one deal).

Middleton, Lopez, Portis, and Connaughton have all played significant roles in Milwaukee for the last few seasons. Middleton and Lopez, in particular, have been mainstays in the Bucks’ starting lineup for many years, while Portis and Connaughton have been among the team’s first players off the bench. All four were major contributors to the championship team in 2021.

Still, as the Bucks showed when they included Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen in their package for Lillard in September, they’re willing to send out key rotation players in a trade if they believe the deal raises their ceiling. And with no first-round picks and only two second-rounders left to deal, the Bucks would need to send out a quality player or two to be a contender in the Murray sweepstakes.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Responding to colleagues Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon, who argued on The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that the Nets should be sellers at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that’s not necessarily the way the team is leaning. “I can’t speak to what the Nets are thinking right this very second, but the word through the NBA is the Nets are attempting to be buyers,” Windhorst said. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own 2024 first-round pick, which will be sent to Houston.
Despite some speculation that he could be a trade deadline target, the Sixers are unlikely to pursue Raptors guard Bruce Brown, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Appearing on the Locked on Heat podcast (Twitter video link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggested that the Heat aren’t explicitly shopping Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jovic, but they’re among the players on the roster who are considered by potential trade partners to be available.
Within his latest Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe shares a couple of notable trade-related tidbits. According to Lowe, before trading for Pascal Siakam, the Pacers were one of several teams to reach out to the Jazz about Lauri Markkanen, but Utah showed zero interest in moving him. Additionally, Lowe says that the Spurs reached out to the Hawks to explore the possibility of a reversal of sorts to their 2022 Dejounte Murray deal, but those talks don’t appear to have gotten far.

Scotto’s Latest: Pacers, Mavericks, Grant, Kuzma, More

January 18th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Rival executives applauded the Pacers for being able to land star Pascal Siakam without moving Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard or Obi Toppin — or including the expiring deal of Buddy Hield — HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto details in a trade deadline intel piece.

But the Pacers now have a logjam at the power forward position, with Jalen Smith, Toppin and Walker all playing behind Siakam. On top of that, there’s still a belief Hield could be moved to create playing time for Mathurin, Nembhard and Sheppard, Scotto writes. As a result, rival executives think Indiana are a candidate to make another trade before the deadline.

We have more from Scotto’s latest roundup:

The Mavericks are scouring the market to see if there are any available power forward upgrades, Scotto writes. According to Scotto, Dallas tried acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic last year and had their eye on Siakam before he was moved. Dallas has kept tabs on Portland forward Jerami Grant, Scotto writes, and could potentially look into Washington forward Kyle Kuzma. While Dereck Lively has drawn trade interest from other teams, Dallas told teams he’s not available for trade.
As noted earlier on Thursday, the Trail Blazers are signaling to opposing teams that they won’t easily part with Grant before the deadline. Portland values what Grant brings to the table in the locker room and on the court and some executives are pondering whether he could be the missing piece to a championship team like Aaron Gordon was, according to Scotto. Executives thus believe Malcolm Brogdon is the likelier of the two to be dealt, with a fair price expected to be a first-round pick and salary filler, Scotto writes.
For what it’s worth, both Portland and Brogdon appear to enjoy their partnership, Scotto explains. “At times, it’s been tough, but there’s something very gratifying about coming to a team where your voice and leadership is really valued and you play a different role,” Brogdon said. Meanwhile, head coach Chauncey Billups said Brogdon is one of the team’s leaders, and that he loves having him in Portland, but acknowledged the difficult transition for Brogdon going from a contender to mentor on a rebuilding team. “He’s in a tough spot here,” Billups said. “He’s coming off the bench, and sometimes he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.“
Rival teams are monitoring the Wizards, and Kuzma is drawing exploratory interest. Scotto writes the Wizards hold Kuzma in a high regard after he chose to re-sign with them over offers from the Kings and Rockets, and they’d seek at least two future first-round picks beyond the 2024 draft in exchange for their leading scorer. Kuzma is viewed as a positive asset partially due to his descending contract. Meanwhile, Washington would desire a first-round pick in exchange for Tyus Jones, but they hope to re-sign the 27-year-old point guard in free agency this year, according to Scotto. Washington is also aiming to use their trade exceptions — such as the $12.35MM exception from the Kristaps Porzingis trade — to acquire picks and young players in salary dumps from other teams.
The Pelicans traded Kira Lewis to duck under the luxury tax this year, and rival executives are pondering whether New Orleans will move another player to do so again next year, Scotto writes. Jonas Valanciunas, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy are among players rival teams could monitor, with some facing free agency or potential extensions.
The Knicks are gauging the value of a package consisting of Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and draft capital to look for potential upgrades, Scotto writes. Echoing a report from Marc Stein, Scotto writes the Knicks are eyeing Brogdon, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier and Detroit’s Alec Burks. New York is also in the market for a backup power forward. Additionally, rivals are expecting OG Anunoby to re-up with the Knicks in free agency.

Stein’s Latest: Raptors, Siakam Trade, Brown, Knicks Targets, More

January 18th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors don’t regret not moving Fred VanVleet last trade deadline before he departed that summer in free agency, Marc Stein details in his latest Substack post. Raptors president Masai Ujiri conveyed a similar sentiment earlier on Thursday. As Stein writes, the offers for VanVleet were lackluster and Toronto brass preferred to give the core of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and VanVleet one more shot at it, adding Jakob Poeltl to the equation.

Stein suggests that the Raptors could have traded VanVleet to the Clippers last year in exchange for Luke Kennard and modest draft capital, but instead opted to run it back with their team. However, VanVleet leaving Toronto in the offseason for Houston had an impact on their willingness to trade Siakam and Anunoby this season, according to Stein.

Though there’s an outside perception the Raptors could have gotten more for Siakam had they traded him earlier, Toronto is pleased with the package it received from the Pacers, according to Stein. As Stein explains, the Hawks offered De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and a first-round pick over the summer, but the Raptors feel Indiana’s offer was better, even without Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Smith, all of whom Toronto coveted. I recommend checking out the article in full if you are subscribed to Stein’s Substack page.

There are more notes from Marc Stein:

There’s a growing belief leaguewide that the Raptors will move recently acquired Bruce Brown in another trade. The Knicks have Evan Fournier‘s $18.9MM salary to help match Brown’s $22MM, Stein observes. An earlier report Thursday indicated Quentin Grimes ($2.4MM in 2023/24) was on the trade block, so perhaps the Knicks kick the tires on packaging Fournier and Grimes together for Brown. We wrote more on New York’s interest in Brown here. The Nuggets would undoubtedly be interested in Brown after he helped lift the franchise to their first NBA title in 2022/23, but they lack feasible ways of acquiring him, Stein adds.
Stein expresses skepticism that Brown is the type of scoring guard New York wants to bring in after moving away from Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks have “a level of interest” in Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Detroit’s Alec Burks and Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, he adds.
Rival teams hold the belief that Siakam is a “lock” to re-sign with the Pacers after his current contract expires this summer, Stein writes. The Pacers can only offer Siakam a two-year, $81.5MM extension during the season, but they acquired his Bird rights in the trade, which was a motivating factor in getting him now. Acquiring Siakam’s Bird rights allows the Pacers to go over the salary cap to keep him giving them increased flexibility this summer.
After Siakam was traded, attention on the trade market turned to the Hawks‘ Dejounte Murray, according to Stein, who says the going price for Murray starts at two first-round picks. We took a look earlier today at Murray’s market.

Pacers Notes: Siakam, Haliburton, Turner, Hard Cap

January 18th, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Rory Maher

If Pascal Siakam was going to be traded by the Raptors, his preference was to land with the Pacers, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. After Wednesday’s trade saw that come to fruition, it became clear the feeling was mutual, with both sides showing enthusiasm about the chances of the two-time All-Star re-signing with Indiana on a long-term contract this summer.

A small-market team like the Pacers doesn’t typically attract star-level talent like the 29-year-old forward. However, as Amick details, Siakam never forgot that Pacers GM Chad Buchanan — then with the Hornets — told Siakam’s camp that he was being considered for Charlotte’s first-round pick in 2016. Charlotte ended up trading its pick in that draft, while the only other team that showed first round interest — Toronto — selected Siakam 27th overall.

Siakam also learned that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle voted for him as an All-Star reserve last season; he ultimately made the team as an injury replacement. And, perhaps most importantly, Siakam wanted to play with point guard Tyrese Haliburton, one of the top young players in the NBA. Haliburton eagerly signed off on the deal, Amick adds.

Siakam has also long been a fan of Myles Turner, sources tell Amick. Siakam believes Turner’s rim protection on defense and ability to space the floor on offense will complement his game.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

In addition to being respected by the team, Siakam is also familiar with the state of Indiana because his older brother Christian played for IUPUI from 2007-12, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
Siakam arrived in Indiana on Thursday for his physical and expressed his excitement about the trade, the team announced (via Twitter).
In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Todd Ramasar — Siakam’s agent — said he views Indiana as a “perfect fit” for his client, and he could see Siakam with the Pacers long term. “There is that through line where everything is about ‘team’ and ‘winning,'” Ramasar said of the Pacers. “In winning, it’s also about having humility and competitiveness. Those are all the right attributes that you want in an organization down to the individuals that leads to something special in the future.”
According to Agness’ sources (Twitter link), Haliburton is ahead of schedule on his return from a hamstring injury, which is why he was listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest vs. Sacramento (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). However, Carlisle said on Thursday that Haliburton isn’t quite ready to return yet, and he will miss his fifth straight game tonight, tweets Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
The Pacers are now hard-capped at the first tax apron following Wednesday’s trade for Siakam, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The reason for that is Indiana exceeded the 110% salary-matching threshold, which triggers a hard cap in the new CBA. Over half the NBA’s teams now face hard caps, though it won’t be an impediment for many of them, including Indiana, whose team salary is far below the first apron.

Siakam Trade Notes: Anunoby, Haliburton, Draft Pick Details, More

January 18th, 2024 at 7:45am CST by Luke Adams

Before OG Anunoby was sent from Toronto to New York last month, the Pacers actually had interest in attempting to land both Anunoby and Pascal Siakam from the Raptors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on NBA Countdown on Wednesday night (YouTube link).

Indiana ultimately wasn’t willing to pay the price it would have taken to acquire both Raptors forwards, but the club “stayed on” Siakam even after Anunoby was off the board, according to Wojnarowski, who explains that the Pacers were willing to pull the trigger on the deal with Toronto due to their confidence that they’ll be able to re-sign the 29-year-old as a free agent this summer — likely at a maximum-salary price.

Wojnarowski adds that Siakam and Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton have been talking and are “both enthusiastic” about the trade and about teaming up in Indiana.

The Pacers will face the Kings in Sacramento on Thursday night, but it sounds like Siakam won’t be available for that game. According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), the plan is for the former All-NBA forward to travel to Indiana to take a physical, then to meet up with the team in Portland ahead of Friday’s contest vs. the Trail Blazers.

Here’s much more on an eventful Wednesday on the NBA trade market:

Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports lays out why trading for Siakam makes so much sense for the Pacers, who will benefit from the forward’s length on defense and will be able to give him more space to operate on offense than he had in Toronto.
Danny Chau of The Ringer, who also loves Siakam’s fit in Indiana, explores whether the former 27th overall pick can turn the Pacers into a contender.
Tony East of SI.com (Twitter links) provides some more details on the draft picks included in the trade, reporting that the Pacers’ 2024 first-rounder acquired by the Raptors will include top-three protection. Additionally, East says the top-four protected 2026 first-rounder sent from Indiana to Toronto would be top-four protected again in 2027 if it doesn’t convey in ’26. In the unlikely event that it lands in the top four in both years, Toronto would instead receive Utah’s 2027 second-round pick and Dallas’ 2028 second-rounder, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Marks also reports (via Twitter) that the Pacers sent the Pelicans $110K in cash in the Kira Lewis trade that preceded the Siakam blockbuster. That’s the minimum amount a team sending cash can include in a two-team trade.
The package the Raptors received for Siakam – heavy on draft picks rather than the young players Toronto sought – is a reflection of the two-time All-Star’s relatively limited trad value and the leverage he held in the situation, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
In an in-depth story for Sportsnet.ca published prior to the trade agreement with the Pacers, Michael Grange takes a look at how Siakam and the Raptors got to this point. The story includes several interesting details, including the fact that Siakam turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension prior to the 2022/23 season. He wanted to try to become super-max-eligible by making another All-NBA team, even though the Raptors made it clear they likely wouldn’t offer the super-max in that scenario, Grange reports.
How will the Siakam trade affect the Raptors’ cap situation going forward? Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca digs into the subject, examining the impact on both this season and the 2024 offseason.

Raptors Trade Pascal Siakam To Pacers, Waive Christian Koloko

January 17th, 2024 at 9:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have traded star forward Pascal Siakam to the Pacers for Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis, Jordan Nwora, two 2024 first-round picks, and a top-four protected 2026 first-rounder, Indiana announced in a press release.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Pascal to Indiana,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. “As a two-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All Star, Pascal is a player that our organization has long admired and respected. We feel that his unique offensive skillset will complement our style of play, while his defensive versatility will be a valuable asset to our team.”

The Raptors also announced the trade is complete in their own press release.

“Pascal is a champion, an integral part of winning teams and an example of what can be achieved with dedication, perseverance, hard work and tenacity,” said Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri. “We’re lucky to have seen Pascal develop into the man and player that he is today – and we are grateful for everything he has done for our city and for our franchise. We wish him all good things.

“This is a time of change for our team, and we welcome Bruce, Jordan and Kira to the Raptors and to Toronto. Bruce is a world champion, and we look forward to his two-way play and added toughness on the court. We continue the work of getting better every day, and continue moving forward in our quest to win here in Toronto.”

The Raptors needed to release a player to complete the deal, and that roster casualty was second-year center Christian Koloko, who has yet to play this season due to a respiratory issue. Assuming he clears waivers, Toronto will be on the hook for Koloko’s full 2023/24 salary, which comes in at $1,719,864. His salary for next season was non-guaranteed.

As a rookie last season, Koloko showed promise as a rim protector, averaging 3.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 58 games, including 19 starts (13.8 MPG).

According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), the Raptors are still “very high” on Koloko, but since there’s no timeline for his return to action, he was the odd man out. Murphy wouldn’t be surprised if Toronto signs Koloko to a G League contract or re-signs him to an NBA deal in the future.

Echoing that last point, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca believes there’s “a good chance” Koloko will remain with the Raptors in some capacity (Twitter link). Grange also hears Koloko has been ramping up his activity lately, but it’s unknown when the Cameroonian big man will be cleared to play again.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, all four players involved in the deal can be traded again prior to the February 8 deadline but cannot be aggregated with other salaries. The Raptors also created a $10.2MM traded player exception in the deal, per Marks (Twitter link).

The Raptors now have a full 15-man roster, while the Pacers have 13 players on standard deals. Teams aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than 14 days at a time, so Indiana will have two weeks to re-add a 14th man.

For more details on the blockbuster trade, check out our story from earlier in the day, before it became official.

Load More Posts