The Toronto Raptors rebuild remains underway.
With OG Anunoby already out of the door, the team has now also parted ways with Pascal Siakam.
Siakam was instrumental in their lone NBA championship run, but he had remained uncommitted to signing a new contract in the offseason, so the team decided to move on from him while they still could.
Notably, the Raptors got a huge value in return for the 29-year-old.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Indiana Pacers will send two 2024 first-round picks, Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora, and a 2026 first-round pick to Toronto.
Pascal Siakam is joining Tyrese Haliburton with the Pacers pic.twitter.com/JirRSYzHYq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 17, 2024
The New Orleans Pelicans will also join the deal, with PG Kira Lewis going to Toronto and a second-round pick going to Indiana.
Per Woj, the Pacers will send their own first-rounders in 2024 and 2026 and the lesser 2024 first-round pick between Utah, Houston, or Oklahoma City.
Needless to say, this is a massive return for a player who’s going to become a free agent in July.
Siakam is making $38 million this season, and he made it clear to all teams looking to acquire him that he intended to test free agency, so this is a risky move by Rick Carlisle’s team.
His fit next to Tyrese Haliburton is seamless, and the Pacers were reluctant to give up Bennedict Mathurin or Jarace Walker to get him, so they must be confident in their ability to retain him.
The Raptors, on the other hand, now have a stacked draft asset repertoire to keep building their team around former NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
NEXT: Pacers Are Reportedly 'Pushing' To Get Deal Done For Star