Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam revealed his Halloween costume on Thursday, which could best be described as so fresh and so clean, clean.

The Indiana Pacers star forward dressed up as musician and actor Andre 3000 from his famous "Hey Ya!" music video:

What’s cooler than being cool? 🧊
🎃Happy Halloween🎃

cc :: @outkast // @andre3000 pic.twitter.com/OBUSl0rGdH

— pascal siakam (@pskills43) October 31, 2024

🥶Ice Cold🥶

cc :: @outkast // @andre3000 pic.twitter.com/8AoRnwG6xM

— pascal siakam (@pskills43) October 31, 2024

Siakam is steady winning at the moment. Alongside an epic Halloween costume, he also hit the game-winning three in Indiana's 135-132 overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

PASCAL SIAKAM. CLUTCH.

Puts the Pacers up 3 with 6.1 seconds left in OT on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/lVxFwgchpx

— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2024

"It's big," Siakam—who scored 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds—said after the victory. "We've got to be that team that fights to the end."

It was certainly a "What's cooler than being cool? Ice cold!" moment from the Pacers' star.

While Jonathan Kuminga was unable to come to terms on a rookie contract extension with the Golden State Warriors ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, there is reportedly no shortage of belief in his potential on either side.

ESPN's Shams Charania and Kendra Andrews reported the two sides didn't finalize a deal even though Golden State agreed to a three-year, $39 million extension with Moses Moody on Sunday.

Yet Charania and Andrews noted "Kuminga believes in his talent and ability to progress into a star in the league, and the Warriors have seen statistics that measure his growth similarly to the early years of the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, Indiana's Pascal Siakam and Boston's Jaylen Brown."

Those are quite the notable names, but Golden State apparently wants to see more.

The report added that the team didn't want to commit to anything long term without seeing if he continues to grow during the 2024-25 campaign. The front office is also "monitoring" the fit between Kuminga and head coach Steve Kerr.

While deadlines often create deals, there still didn't have to be significant urgency in this instance.

After all, Kuminga is scheduled to become a restricted free agent ahead of the 2025-26 season, which means Golden State can control his rights by matching any offer he receives from another team. If the Warriors want him, he will remain a member of the club beyond just the upcoming campaign.

"Just because you don't get an extension done doesn't mean they're not going to be here for a long time," general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said ahead of training camp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u57CJ4e4PwM

Kuminga is not on the level of Leonard, Siakam and Brown, but he is also just 22 years old and coming off his best season.

The 2021 first-round pick averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from deep in 2023-24. Even though the three-point percentage was the lowest mark of his career, the other numbers were all his best since he entered the league.

Leonard and Brown didn't average that many points per game until their fourth seasons, while Siakam saw a similar jump while averaging 16.9 points per game during his third year.

All of them became All-Stars and champions as their careers progressed, so there is quite the blueprint for Kuminga to follow as he becomes more experienced.

Perhaps the contract situation will also serve as a motivating factor, which would only elevate his already high ceiling.

Traditionally, the Indiana Pacers are a team that can sneak up on opponents and catch them by surprise, but that will not be the case during the 2024-25 campaign after they reached last season's Eastern Conference Finals.

Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton know that.

Siakam posted a preseason mixtape where he and Haliburton challenge each other and the rest of the team to lock in ahead of the upcoming season.

📼 Eff it, Pre-Season Sessions Mixtape 📼 pic.twitter.com/PL0NmPtRPc

— pascal siakam (@pskills43) September 21, 2024

"Stay together, stay locked in and compete, man," Siakam said. "Every f--king day. There's no day where we come in there and we just f--king bulls--t. Like, every day we're putting the work in."

Siakam is fully committed to the Pacers, who acquired him from the Toronto Raptors via trade last season. He agreed to a four-year, max extension this offseason and will be one of the faces of the team alongside Haliburton.

That duo's ability to match up with the best the Eastern Conference has to offer will ultimately determine Indiana's ceiling. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers all figure to challenge for a spot in the NBA Finals, and teams such as the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat could be dangerous as well.

Where that leaves the Pacers remains to be seen, but they have plenty of momentum after their deepest playoff run since the 2013-14 campaign.

But they have to build on that, and Siakam made sure to stress how important it will be to stay dialed in during the season.

The next series of ratings for NBA 2K25 (Nos. 31-50) has been released, and it's highlighted by a group that includes Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball.

Breaking into the top half of the #NBA2KTop100 👀

What's your take on this group? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LGfgX4rBog

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 21, 2024

Siakam and Towns lead off the list with 88 overall scores. Ball is right behind them at 87 overall.

No. 51-100 have already been released this week.

Let's keep the #NBA2KTop100 going with 20 more players 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qsQbhIFy7y

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 20, 2024

🗣️ The #NBA2KTop100 starts NOW!

Drop your takes on this first group of #NBA2K25 ratings ✍️ pic.twitter.com/0sIWbLXdHt

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 19, 2024

Siakam, Towns and Ball are well-deserving of their overall scores and placements in the top 35.

Siakam just helped lead the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals following a midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors. "Spicy P" averaged 21.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Towns just guided the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, a run that included an upset over the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round. KAT finished the year with 21.8 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Injuries have unfortunately defined Ball over the past two years, but he's electric on the court, averaging 23.9 points, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game last year. He notably won the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award and earned All-Star honors the following season.

NBA 2K25 is set for a Friday, Sept. 6 release, but those who preorder it can begin playing on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

The Indiana Pacers' deepest playoff run in a decade ended in May with a shorthanded Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Boston Celtics.

Can the Pacers build on that run to make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000?

The Pacers' hopes of a title bid hinge on All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, whose absence the team was unable to overcome when facing the Boston Celtics last postseason.

Here's a look ahead at the biggest matchups of the season as the Pacers look to find out if they have added enough pieces around Haliburton to make this team a title contender next spring.

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2024-25 Pacers Schedule Details

Season Opener: at Pistons on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +5500 (bet $100 to win $5,500), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

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Top Matchups

New York Knicks

Haliburton wore a sweatshirt that referenced the 1990's playoff rivalry between these two teams after the Pacers ruined the Knicks' hopes of a trip to the conference finals with their Game 7 conference semifinals victory. Is that a sign this rivalry is about to heat back up?

The Pacers made playoff history with their shooting percentage while defeating a Knicks team that was missing top defenders like OG Anunoby. Another meetup between these two teams with their star players back in the fold will give a better idea of how well the young Pacers are able to match up against a consensus title contender.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics' defense proved superior to the Pacers' quick-moving offense as the reigning NBA champions eliminated Indiana from the conference finals in four games.

The Pacers took on that series without Haliburton to match Jrue Holiday, but the Celtics' overall dominance raised questions about how far this team will be able to get without improving on defense. This Eastern Conference Finals rematch will show how much the Pacers have developed since the sweep.

Sacramento Kings

It may have been two years since the trade that brought Haliburton to Indiana and sent Domantas Sabonas to the Sacramento Kings, but that connection between these two quick-moving offensive teams makes this matchup a perennially interesting one.

Now that the Kings have signed DeMar DeRozan, adding to an offense already made dangerous by Sabonas and De'Aaron Fox, this will be a more challenging matchup than ever as the two teams meet again this fall.

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Season Forecast

Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin will return to Indiana after signing extensions this offseason. Toppin is looking to build on a career season during which he averaged a personal-best 10.3 points per game, while Siakam will continue to drive the Pacers' offense after putting up more than 21 points per game in both the regular season and playoffs.

It is likely Ben Sheppard will play a bigger role for the Pacers next season as Indiana looks for a replacement for Buddy Hield, the veteran floor-spacer dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in March. The 2023 first-rounder made it into the team's playoff rotation and seems likely to get more opportunities to compete with Andrew Nembhard for playing time next season.

While anticipating the next step in Sheppard's development, the Pacers will also be looking for improved rebounding next season after only Siakam, Myles Turner and Jalen Smith topped five rebounds per game in 2023-24. The team as a whole pulled down 41.5 per game last season, good for 30th in the NBA.

The Pacers have other improvements to target this offseason while shoring up the team's defense. Bennedict Mathurin, the 2022 No. 6 pick who is expected to fully recover from shoulder surgery before the start of the season, will continue developing his shooting off the bench.

The Pacers still have some uncertainties surrounding their young roster, but further improvements from bench players like Toppin, Sheppard and Mathurin, steps forward from starters like Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, and a healthy season from Haliburton could go a long way toward solving the problems that led to the Celtics' sweep of the 2024 conference finals.

Look for Indiana to make the playoffs again next spring, although how far they go from there could depend largely on Haliburton's health. A full season from the two-time All-Star will be crucial to the Pacers' posteason hopes.

Record Prediction: 48-34

Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers are running it back.

The team reportedly signed Toppin to a four-year, $60 million deal that will keep him out of restricted free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN Sources: Restricted free agent F Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60 million contract to stay with the Indiana Pacers. Toppin emerged as a top bench contributor for the Eastern Conference finalists. pic.twitter.com/sJP8q5prJe

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2024

Toppin, 26, served as a solid role player for the Pacers, averaging career bests in points (10.3 PPG), rebounds (3.9 RPG), field-goal percentage (57.3 percent) and three-point shooting (40.3 percent) in the 2023-24 campaign.

He also appeared in all 82 games (28 starts), remaining a reliable part of the rotation throughout the season.

While Toppin has never quite lived up to the expectations that came with being the No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 NBA draft, his size, athleticism and recent ability to space the floor made him a valuable contributor in Indiana.

Once the Pacers traded Buddy Hield at the trade deadline—moving off another player who would have needed to be re-signed in free agency this summer—it seemed likely that the Pacers would look to retain both Pascal Siakam and Toppin.

Before the trade, Philadelphia had 6 seconds available to move in a deal.

They keep all 3 firsts (+2 this summer), improve the roster and keep flexibility this offseason.

Indiana was pressed against the luxury tax in 2024-25 if they retained Hield and Obi Toppin.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 8, 2024

Toppin, at least, is back. For a young Pacers team that took promising steps last season, keeping the majority of the core together, if possible, made sense.

The Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam reportedly plans to sign a four-year, $189.5 million contract with the team at the start of free agency.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Siakam's plans to stay in Indiana after coming over via a midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors.

The deal is one year less than Siakam's five-year max but will still pay him an average of $47.4 million per season. He will make $42.3 million in 2024-25 and receive 8.5 percent raises each subsequent season.

The Pacers will still be well below the luxury tax even with Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton combining to make $84.6 million next season. The contract will, however, put them in over-the-cap category, meaning they will only have their midlevel exception and minimum contracts to use in free agency.

Re-signing Siakam was always going to be the Pacers' top priority this summer, so getting the deal done early should open up the front office to improve the roster. Obi Toppin and Doug McDermott are the only rotation players hitting free agency this summer and both should be re-signable at reasonable rates.

Toppin is a restricted free agent, so his market will be limited, and McDermott is a minimum-contract player at this point in his career if the Pacers want to bring him back.

Indiana's main focus on the free-agent market will likely be improving on the defensive end. The team could use help both on the perimeter and in rim protection, and general manager Chad Buchanan said he plans on being "aggressive" if he sees a fit.

"We see areas where we've got to improve. Both the roster, skill level, defensively, things like that," Buchanan said last month. "There's plenty of areas for us to improve. I think that will be a focus for us this summer and building a team moving forward."

Siakam's new deal is on the aggressive side for his market, but limiting it to four years should be a bit of a relief.

Pascal Siakam is reportedly staying in Indiana for a long time.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that the Pacers intend to sign Siakam to a new four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract when the NBA free-agency moratorium ends on July 6.

The news comes as no surprise after Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported in May that re-signing Siakam was the Pacers' "biggest priority" of the offseason.

The Pacers acquired Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in January in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks.

Wojnarowski reported at the time of the trade that Siakam was "excited about the deal to the Pacers and expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise this summer."

Wojnarowski added during an appearance on ESPN's NBA Countdown that the Pacers were confident in signing Siakam to an extension following the deal.

Siakam's addition helped the franchise secure a playoff berth for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. Indiana finished the regular season sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record and went on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, falling to the Boston Celtics in four games.

Siakam was solid during his short stint with the Pacers last season, averaging 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 41 games while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from deep.

He was just as good during the team's playoff run, averaging 21.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 17 games while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor.

Prior to the deal, the 30-year-old had spent the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his career in Toronto, helping the franchise capture an NBA title in 2019, in addition to securing two All-Star selections.

Now that he's reportedly staying in Indiana, Siakam will be a focal point of the Pacers' rotation alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner for the foreseeable future. That will come with higher expectations for the franchise, such as contending for a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference alongside the likes of Boston and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Indiana Pacers are reportedly expected to offer Pascal Siakam a max contract this summer in free agency.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said re-signing Siakam is the Pacers' "biggest priority" of the offseason.

“[The Pacers] biggest priority is bringing back Pascal Siakam” 🤝@ShamsCharania on the offseason plans for the Indiana Pacers pic.twitter.com/sjr3Gu0oNk

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 28, 2024

Siakam is eligible for a five-year, $245 million contract this summer. A full five-year max would take Siakam through his 35th birthday.

The Pacers sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr. and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Siakam in January. Two of those first-round picks convey this year in a weak draft. The final first-rounder is a protected pick (Nos. 1-4) in 2026 and 2027. If the Pacers draft in the top four in 2026 and 2027, the last pick converts to a pair of second-round picks.

Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 41 regular-season games with the Pacers. A two-time All-Star, he has settled into a tier of players who are hard to evaluate. He's very good at a number of things but elite at none. It's hard to justify paying a player of Siakam's caliber nearly $50 million a season, but the Pacers are not a free-agent destination, and he appears to enjoy playing in Indiana.

"It's been a blessing," Siakam told reporters Monday night. "I'm really appreciative of everything. Coming from where I come from, it means a lot."

Indiana could have competition in the open market if Siakam wants to explore his options. The Philadelphia 76ers are armed with cap space, a title-contending roster and were reportedly interested in trading for Siakam before he was sent to Indiana. The Sixers can only offer Siakam four years and $183.2 million if they hope to sign him outright.

It's hard to imagine Siakam turning down an extra $60-plus million if it's on the table.