Insider Details Pacers Long Pursuit of Raptors' Pascal Siakam

The Indiana Pacers became the one team Pascal Siakam was willing to sign with, leaving the Toronto Raptors without options ahead of the trade deadline

For months now rumors have been swirling about Pascal Siakam’s long-term goals.

The first bit of news trickled out on draft night that the two-time All-NBA forward didn’t want to be traded. He was supposedly adamant he wouldn’t sign an extension with anyone who traded for him. If he was going to ink a long-term deal, it had to be with the Toronto Raptors.

But at some point, that began to change.

While other teams certainly inquired about Siakam’s availability, there was only one place he wanted to go: The Indiana Pacers.

The emergence of Tyrese Haliburton coupled with Indiana’s floor-spacing center Myles Turner and a head coach in Rick Carlisle whose love for Siakam wasn’t lost on the former Raptors forward was enough to entice him to the Pacers, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.

Siakam is ineligible to sign a long-term extension with the Pacers until this summer but barring the unforeseen, the 29-year-old is expected to ink a max contract to stay in Indiana when free agency begins this July.

For Indiana, Siakam is an ideal fit. He’s a versatile two-way wing whose transition skills should fit perfectly alongside Haliburton. The fact that Turner doesn’t clog the paint should allow Siakam to flourish inside with his go-to spin move and short-range fadeaway jumper.

In Toronto, it’s the end of an era as the Raptors have shipped away the last key member of the championship core. Only Chris Boucher remains from that 2019 team and he seldom played on the Raptors' run to the title.

“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. 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,” Raptors Vice-Chairman and President Masai Ujiri said in a press release Wednesday night.

Now Toronto will turn the page.

The Scottie Barnes era for the Raptors begins now.