Pascal Siakam

Before looking ahead to free agency, Pascal Siakam was happy to have experienced this postseason run with the Indiana Pacers after being acquired in a midseason trade from the Toronto Raptors.

Speaking to reporters after a 105-102 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Siakam said "it's been a blessing" to be with the Pacers.

"I'm really appreciative of everything," he added. "Coming from where I come from, it means a lot."

The Pacers aren't known for making bold trades, but their ascent into playoff contention at the start of this season opened things up. They sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks to Toronto for Siakam on Jan. 18.

It was assumed when Indiana made that deal, there was a strong possibility Siakam would sign a new contract with the club this summer.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the day after the trade was announced that rival teams believed Siakam was "a lock" to remain with the Pacers beyond this season.

Siakam's agent went on the record to tell Andscape's Marc J. Spears his client's "future looks bright" in Indiana.

The primary reason Siakam didn't sign an extension immediately after the trade is because he could only receive $80 million over two years.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Siakam is eligible to sign a five-year deal worth up to $245 million with the Pacers this summer.

Siakam was terrific for Indiana after the trade. The two-time All-Star averaged 21.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 41 starts.

The Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks in the first two rounds to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.

Jaylen Brown was one of the players who arguably was snubbed from an All-NBA selection on Wednesday. And it appears he took that personally.

Brown was electric on Thursday, putting up 40 points and four rebounds in the Boston Celtics' 126-110 win over the Indiana Pacers. The victory gave Boston a 2-0 advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown's scoring was important in Game 2, as All-NBA first-team selection Jayson Tatum started slowly before picking up the pace in the second half, finishing with 23 points, six boards and five assists.

All-NBA third-team pick, Tyrese Haliburton, had another fairly nondescript game for Indiana before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with left hamstring soreness, finishing with 10 points and eight assists. The Pacers were led by Pascal Siakam (28 points), who kept them in the contest until Boston pulled away for good in the fourth.

It was Brown who seemed to have an answer for just about every run the Pacers made, and NBA fans and pundits alike suspected that Brown had a bit of extra motivation fueling him:

It wasn't just fans and analysts who were a bit surprised Brown didn't crack the All-NBA teams.

"JB, that was a snub for sure," Celtics guard Payton Pritchard told reporters earlier on Thursday. "I don't understand how you can be the No. 1 team by a wide margin and only have one dude on that. JB's been terrific all year, two-way player, so he definitely deserves to be on there."

Head coach Joe Mazzulla expected Brown to take the situation in stride, however:

"He's a very mature guy... He has a great outlook on life," he said. "He knows what's important and what's not. He works really hard. He knows who he is as a person and as a player and that's the most important thing."

After Thursday, the Pacers know exactly who Brown is as a player too, and they'll be in serious trouble if this version of Brown persists throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

The series now shifts back to Indiana for Saturday's Game 3 as the Pacers look to salvage their fading title hopes.

Damian Lillard helped the Milwuakee Bucks steal Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday without Giannis Antetokounmpo available. Pascal Siakam one-upped him on Tuesday.

The star forward popped off in Game 2, posting 37 points, 11 rebounds and six assists during Indiana's 125-108 win over the Bucks.

Milwaukee, who was without Antetokounmpo yet again, was led by a strong performance from Dame (34 points, five assists) and Brook Lopez (22 points), but it wasn't enough to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.

Instead, Siakam and Myles Turner (22 points, seven boards, six assists, three blocks) led a resurgent performance to even the series for Indiana. Those efforts were needed on a night where Tyrese Haliburton struggled to contribute as a scorer, finishing 4-of-10 from the field for 12 points, though he did add 12 assists.

But Siakam was the story, and fans and pundits on social media praised his big night:

Siakam has been cooking in the playoffs thus far. He went off for 36 points and 13 rebounds in Game 1, picking up the slack for another tough Haliburton offensive night (nine points, eight assists).

If Haliburton finds his scoring mojo again, the Pacers can start dreaming of an upset in this series, though the elephant in the room is the health of Giannis. If, or when, he returns to Milwaukee's roster, this becomes a different series.

Few rivalries have been better this season than Bucks vs. Pacers. Indiana is now 5-1 in the matchup, highlighted by the In-Season Tournament semifinal showdown and the "stealing the game ball" controversy in a later matchup.

Thus far, the first two games of the playoff clash haven't disappointed. It has largely been the Siakam vs. Lillard Show, and the former drew even on Tuesday.

The Golden State Warriors were in the mix for Pascal Siakam before the Toronto Raptors traded the two-time All-NBA forward to the Indiana Pacers, but "questions about fit" in addition to his "looming contract in free agency" were among numerous factors that played a part in a deal failing to come to fruition.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported the news.

"Golden State was surely one of the teams involved in talks with Toronto for Pascal Siakam, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Yet questions about fit and Siakam's looming contract in free agency were two of several factors that ultimately dissuaded any Golden State deal, sources said."

In his eighth NBA season, the 29-year-old Siakam is averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He will be a free agent after this season.

The feeling that a Warriors-Siakam partnership wouldn't have worked out may have been mutual, however. After the Raptors-Pacers trade went down, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Siakam wasn't thrilled about a long-term stay with Golden State.

"The Warriors were interested [in Siakam]," Amick said on The Athletic's NBA Show podcast (h/t Brad Botkin of CBS Sports). "I don't think [Siakam] was excited abut anything beyond this season with [the Warriors]."

Amick also previously reported that Siakam wants a "full-term, max-salary deal" in free agency. It's certainly possible the Warriors weren't interested in that sort of contract.

At any rate, Siakam is a Pacer, and the Warriors are trying to figure out their next move. At 22-25 and 12th in the Western Conference, Golden State is in grave danger of missing the playoffs just two seasons after winning the NBA title. The deadline is just two days away, though, so time is of the essence for the Dubs to figure something out.

Pascal Siakam is off to Indiana, but before he officially embarks on his journey with the Pacers, the veteran forward had to take the time to thank the Toronto Raptors for the first seven and a half years of his career.

Siakam posted a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday bidding farewell to the Raptors and discussing his tenure with the franchise. Towards the end of the video (3:30 mark), the 29-year-old said he thought he was going to spend his entire career in Toronto.

Siakam said:

I couldn't imagine playing for any other team than the Toronto Raptors. That's something that I didn't even dare to think about because I didn't really imagine myself playing somewhere else and the moment I had to start thinking about it was probably one of the hardest times because in my head it was difficult to just think about the idea of leaving. That's no disrespect, it's just I never thought about it. It never crossed my mind because I thought I'd be a Raptor forever." 

After months of trade rumors and speculation, the Raptors sent Siakam to the Pacers this week in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks.

Siakam is set to become a free agent this summer and is due for a major contract extension that the Raptors were unlikely to dish out.

The 2016 first-round pick helped lead the Raptors to an NBA title in 2019, and he also earned two All-Star selections and two All-NBA selections during his tenure with the franchise.

Now heading to Indiana, Siakam is said to be "excited about the deal to the Pacers and expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise this summer," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Siakam now joins a solid Indiana rotation that's headlined by Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. If he inks an extension and remains with the Pacers beyond 2024, the trio will face high expectations to win a championship.

This summer's NBA free-agent pool will likely be a little more shallow with the expectation that Pascal Siakam is going to remain with the Indiana Pacers after being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Raptors.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the belief among rival teams is that Siakam "is a lock" to sign a new deal with the Pacers:

"As covered here in a previous notebook, Indiana can only offer Siakam a two-year contract extension in the $80 million range during the season. But the Pacers only have one max player in the organization as we speak, scant history of splashes in free agency and thus have ample motivation to take advantage of acquiring Siakam's Bird Rights this summer by securing him as a long-term sidekick for Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner."

Indiana received Siakam and a future second-round draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal. Toronto got Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwosa, Kira Lewis, two 2024 first-round draft picks and a conditional 2026 draft pick.

The Pacers aren't a team that has historically made big in-season trades, especially to give up multiple first-round draft picks.

In the aftermath of the trade, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Siakam is "expected to be eager to work out a new contract" with Indiana this summer.

Since the Pacers now have Siakam's Bird rights, they can offer him a full five-year max that could be worth up to $248.5 million assuming a $142.8 million salary cap for the 2024-25 season.

It's in the Pacers' best interest to be aggressive in adding talent to their roster right now. Tyrese Haliburton has evolved from an All-Star last season to a borderline MVP candidate this season. He signed a five-year max extension in July that keeps him under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Indiana's offense with Haliburton at the point is on pace to have the highest rating in NBA history this season. Its biggest flaw has been the defense that ranks 26th in rating and 29th in points allowed per game.

Siakam can fit right in with the Pacers on the offensive end of the court because he can drive to the basket, cut and has at times been an effective three-point shooter. He provides a huge boost to their defense because of his ability to guard multiple positions, easing a lot of the burden that has been on Myles Turner to cover for the limitations of others.

The Pacers is part of a crowded group in the Eastern Conference fighting to avoid the play-in tournament. Their 24-17 record is tied with the Miami Heat for the sixth-best mark in the conference, but they are within one game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 4 spot.