- The Indiana Pacers acquired forward Pascal Siakam in a trade with the Toronto Raptors.
- Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks are on their way to Toronto in exchange for Siakam.
- The Pacers’ 2023-24 NBA Championship odds shortened after the trade was announced.
According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors have finalized a trade that will send forward Pascal Siakam to the Hoosier State. In exchange for Siakam, the Pacers are parting ways with Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks. Additionally, the New Orleans Pelicans sent Kira Lewis Jr. to Toronto in a separate deal.
Online betting sites have moved their 2023-24 NBA Championship odds as a result of the deal. At BetOnline, the Pacers’ NBA title odds have shortened from +7500 to +6000. Also, their odds of making the NBA Playoffs have improved from -500 to -900.
In November, at +20000, the Pacers were huge underdogs to win the NBA title. Just last week, the Pacers were +12500 to win it all this season. With that in mind, the Pacers’ 2023-24 NBA Championship odds have never been better than after acquiring Siakam. Last week, the Pacers had a lowly implied probability of winning the title of 0.8 percent.
Today, the 23-17 Pacers have an implied probability of 1.6 percent. The Siakam trade does not make the Pacers an instant top contender with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. At +2200, to win the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Bucks, and Celtics all remain ahead of the Pacers.
Haliburton and Siakam Combine For Formidable Duo
Amid Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout campaign, Pacers’ GM Chad Buchanan has been busy looking for a way to give his star point guard help with a proven commodity. With Siakam reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with the Raptors’ front office, Buchanan saw an opportunity to bring in Siakam to improve the frontcourt.
According to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, the front office cut off communication with Siakam in the summer following a disappointing 2022-23 season. It reportedly led Siakam to believe that he was being punished by Raptors’ team president Masai Ujiri.
After trading OG Anunoby to the Knicks last month, it was abundantly clear that the Raptors were going to move Siakam. In the final year of his contract, the Pacers are hoping to go on a playoff run in the spring, and then convince the 29-year-old native of Cameroon to re-sign in Indianapolis.
If Haliburton and Siakam work well together and the team progresses, there is a decent chance that Siakam wants to remain with the Pacers. In December, Haliburton almost carried the Pacers to an NBA In-Season Tournament title.
Despite pre-tournament In-Season odds of +12500, the Pacers reached the title matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Haliburton shined with 26.7 points, 13.3 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game in the In-Season Tournament.
The Pacers believe that Siakam’s presence will only make both players better. Siakam has been playing well in a bad situation in Toronto. He wasn’t happy, but has still shown up to play hard. In 2023-24, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game in 39 games with the Raptors.
Raptors Receive Decent Haul For Siakam
Siakam was walking in the offseason if the Raptors didn’t trade him. Given his tension with the front office, potential suitors were well aware that Siakam wanted out of Toronto.
Regardless, the Raptors still managed to acquire three first-round picks and two serviceable players in return. The Denver Nuggets were interested in retaining Brown for a solid piece off the bench, but he signed with the Pacers for more money in the offseason.
Brown is on pace for the best season of his six-year career. The 27-year-old is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He’s a solid contributor off the bench, which the Raptors should appreciate given their lack of depth.
Due to the Pacers’ solid depth, 25-year-old Nwora didn’t have as much of an opportunity as he would have liked this season. In 18 games, Nwora averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game with the Pacers.
The Raptors want to get younger, and they did that by acquiring a 27-year-old, 25-year-old, 22-year-old, and two first-round rookies in 2024 and another in 2026. Some Raptors fans may not be thrilled with the trade, but it’s one of the better scenarios considering the presence of a disgruntled asset in Siakam. Including acquiring RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the Anunoby trade, the Raptors are in the early stages of building around Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors had long odds before, and their odds to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship grew even longer. They were +20000 before the trade, and +50000 after Siakam was sent to Indianapolis.
