On Wednesday, the Indiana Pacers reportedly made arguably the biggest trade in the NBA so far this season when they acquired two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal.
They gave up key reserve Bruce Brown Jr., forward Jordan Nwora, and three future first-round draft picks to get Siakam, who had been rumored to be on the trade block for the last few months.
While this deal won’t make them championship contenders, it will make things a little more interesting in the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers also made a minor roster move when they waived veteran forward James Johnson.
We have waived forward James Johnson.https://t.co/gZMWQXSEVN pic.twitter.com/orJjSZHE3I
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 17, 2024
Johnson, who is in his 15th pro season, has barely played for Indiana this year — in fact, he has appeared in just five games and has played a total of 24 minutes while scoring only four points.
He also played very sparingly for them last season after joining them during the 2022 offseason as a free agent.
The Pacers came into Wednesday with a 23-17 record, which put them in sixth place in the East, and Siakam should give them a sizable boost.
He’s averaging 22.2 points a game on 52.2% shooting this season, and he should fit in nicely with their fast-breaking offense while giving them a legitimate second scoring option behind Tyrese Haliburton.
Indiana is averaging 125.6 points a game, which is tops in the NBA, and with Siakam on board, they could break the league’s all-time record for the highest scoring average by a team.
The current record is held by the Denver Nuggets, who put up 126.5 points a game back in the 1981-82 campaign.
NEXT: Breaking: Raptors Finalizing Pascal Siakam Trade