Pacers get bad news regarding potential top trade target
By Jack Simone
The Indiana Pacers are going to be one of the top teams to watch heading into this season’s trade deadline. With Tyrese Haliburton leading the way, they have a real shot to make some noise come playoff time.
However, Haliburton can’t continue to do everything by himself. He’s taking on a heavy load within the Pacers offense, and adding more help will be essential to the team’s success.
Perhaps more importantly for the Pacers, though, will be adding help on the defensive side of the ball. Some names have been floating around as potential targets.
OG Anunoby was one of the Pacers’ reported top targets before he was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks. But just because he’s no longer available doesn’t mean they couldn’t go after his teammate - Pascal Siakam.
However, Indiana may have just gotten some rough news about a potential trade for Siakam. According to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein and his newsletter, The Stein Line, Siakam doesn’t want to sign an extension with any team that trades for him.
“Word is Siakam, if he's dealt, is unlikely to sign off on a two-year extension and would prefer, again, to proceed to unrestricted free agency … meaning that any team that trades for him now must be daring enough to roll those dice,” Stein wrote.
Stein went on to mention that the list of teams showing interest in Siakam is continuously expanding and now includes the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, and Pacers.
Siakam is a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player. So far this season, he’s averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 51.8% from the field and 28.5% from behind the three-point line.
Unfortunately, the news that Siakam is still unlikely to sign an extension with any potential new team could dissuade the Pacers from making a serious push.
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Giving up a ton of assets for an All-Star is one thing, but combining that with the risk of that player not sticking around long-term may not be what the Pacers are looking for.