Raptors' Siakam Spoke with Pacers' Haliburton Through Trade Trocess: Report

Per ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Siakam showed intense interest in joining Indiana

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam spoke with Indiana Pacers frontman Tyrese Haliburton about joining the sudden NBA Eastern Conference contenders ahead of the reported deal on Wednesday, according to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Per Wojnarowski, there were strong concerns from the Raptors that Siakam could have walked away from Toronto in free agency and joined the Pacers for free as they reach the first stages of their championship-contending window.

On Wednesday, reports indicated that Siakam would join Haliburton in Indiana, forming one of the strongest two-way partnerships in the NBA. At the same time, the Pacers sent three first-round draft picks to Toronto, alongside Bruce Brown Jr. and Jordan Nwora.

“Two really important reasons, start with the fact that Pascal Siakam is exactly what this Pacers team needs, a dynamic forward who can guard four positions, a two-time all-star and played a significant role in that championship team in Toronto,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN Wednesday evening, as the Raptors tipped off against the Miami Heat, without Siakam in the lineup.

“He fits right into an Indiana team that is ahead of schedule, with Tyrese Haliburton leading the way now for this organization.”

Joined ⁦@SportsCenter⁩ with ⁦@KevinNegandhi⁩ to report on why Indiana had confidence in trading for Pascal Siakam on an expiring contract pic.twitter.com/BH1eRcK8qt

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 18, 2024

While the 29-year-old Cameroonian has yet to be officially announced as a Pacer, he had reportedly shown intense interest in joining the basketball club and playing a role in pushing them towards a Larry O’Brien trophy.

At the same time, the Pacers hold some flexibility within their salary cap and reportedly feel confident in their ability to re-sign the expiring Siakam beyond the 2023-24 season, a tool the Raptors lacked at this point in their rebuild.

“Siakam has talked through this process with Tyrese Haliburton, and the Pacers knew how much he wanted to play in Indiana. Indiana had something over Toronto; they have cap space this summer,” Wojnarowski added.

Meanwhile, the Raptors forge ahead in the 2024 season, entering the second half of their schedule, which includes three matchups against the Pacers.