The Pacers will be able to spend big money on player this offseason, but the question is, who should they go after? While many have speculated across many teams in the league, one name that is continuously brought up is our friends to the north in Toronto.
On Friday, the Raptors fired Nick Nurse as the head coach in a league-signaling move that big changes may be coming down the road. And because of this, the Pacers should be looking to potentially cash in on a Raptor rebuild.
There are two player in particular that many Pacers fans would be salivating to acquire, mainly, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Both play a position of need for the Pacers and both are significantly better true power forwards than the Pacers have had in decades.
There was alot of talk about the Raptors turning towards a rebuild around the trade deadline, however, the Raptors ended up being buyers by taking on Jakob Poeltl. But with the firing of Nurse, some are thinking that Raptors may pivot.
Looks like the #Raptors are going full rebuild mode. Fred Vanvleet. Pascal Siakam and OG Onunoby, all core pieces to their 2019 title run, could be on their way as well. https://t.co/LbJswUhP7S
— The 3PT Field Goal (@The3ptFG) April 21, 2023
So should Indiana be continually calling the Raptors about the availability of these players?
The Pacers absolutely should be looking at the Raptors roster.
Both OG and Siakam would fit seamlessly alongside of Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Myles Turner. And with young pieces off of the bench in Mathurin, Nembhard, Nesmith, and Nwora, the future would look bright for the Pacers.
Of course, many will talk about the high cost of acquiring players of Siakam and Anunoby’s magnitude, with it likely taking multiple first round picks. But to that I say, take the certainty of a star over the potential of a superstar when you already have one. Look at the cautionary tale of the Mavericks. They already had a superstar, tried to take a risk to get another (loosing a star in Brunson), and now may lose Doncic altogether.
The starting lineup of Haliburton, Mathurin, Nwora/Nesmith, Siakam/Anunoby, and Turner would be good enough to compete with nearly anyone in the NBA. I’d take those odds. Would you?