Why Pascal Siakam trade was perfect for Pacers present and future

The Indiana Pacers made noise in recent weeks with their aggressive trade for Pascal Siakam. They gave up Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks in the deal with the Toronto Raptors.

But while the deal may seem aggressive, the Indiana front office likes their current roster and the projected future they have in front of them. Why not go all in?

So far, Siakam has played in eight games with the Pacers, most recently falling in brutal fashion at the hands of the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

Tyrese Haliburton has only played in Siakam's first and most recent contests. With him back, the Pacers can move forward and see what they truly have on the court with the construct of their lineup now.

One of the certain issues the Pacers squad had was with rebounding, and Indiana acquired Siakam without sacrificing too much of their rotation, so he'll help them improve without getting much worse in other areas.

In his eight games as a Pacer so far, Siakam is averaging 21.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 55.1% from the field and 41.2% from behind the three-point line.

Indiana is used to scoring a lot of points, and now they have an additional piece to help them on defense. Siakam also provides both playoff and championship experience from his tenure with Toronto.

Though the sample size is small (just three games with both Haliburton and Siakam on the floor together), the combination looks threatening to opposing defenses. Center Myles Turner has relief to help protect the paint and disrupt lanes of traffic to the rim, too.

However, if the Pacers are content and believe in the current make-up of their team, head coach Rick Carlisle has the potential to turn an offensive juggernaut into a team that can also rebound and defend at a higher level.

With this acquisition, others may follow. Shooting guard Buddy Hield's name is circulating in trade rumors, and he could be used as a piece to help the Pacers improve further ahead of the deadline.

But for now, the Pacers like the present and the future. Siakam made this team appealing to potential free agents, a key to building a championship roster.