Toronto Raptors Opt for NBA Draft Picks in Pascal Siakam Trade

After years of trade rumors, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam was finally dealt Wednesday, with draft choices being the main return.

Perhaps the biggest NBA trade market domino fell on Wednesday, with Pascal Siakam officially making an exit from the Toronto Raptors franchise via a move to Indiana.

Now in his eighth NBA season, the two-time All-Star has been a Toronto mainstay, helping the team win the coveted NBA championship in 2019, cementing himself as one of the best Raptors of all time.

Oddly enough, after years of his name being thrown into star-studded mock trades, it was draft picks that were finally able to pry Siakam away from Toronto. And the context behind the picks makes the deal all the more interesting.

Indiana chose to send two 2024 first round selections and one 2026 selection.

The picks in the upcoming 2024 draft will be the Pacers unprotected pick, which right now sits outside the lottery, plus a former Thunder pick that will yield the lowest of those among the Jazz, Rockets and Oklahoma City’s. Again, a selection likely outside the lottery.

The best asset in the deal in the Pacers 2026 selection, which is just top-four protected. Indiana has selected high in several consecutive drafts now, and while they’re an undoubtedly talented team with Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and now Siakam, it doesn’t take much to snowball into the top of the draft standings.

In addition to the picks, Toronto also received Bruce Brown, who is likely to be re-routed to another team.

All-in-all, it’s a telling trade for the Raptors, who have moved off two win-now caliber players in the past month, starting with OG Anunoby.

Armed with extra picks, the Raptors will now likely position themselves to try and retain their own 2024 draft pick, which is top-six protected and would convey to San Antonio. Currently, they rank sixth in the reverse standings, and with teams like Detroit, Washington and San Antonio ahead, they may have their work cut out for them.

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