Pacers will eventually regret their biggest move of the offseason

The Indiana Pacers offseason has been quiet. They drafted three players in the second round and added James Wiseman in free agency. Their biggest move was signing Pascal Siakam to a four-year $188.9 million contract to keep him in Indiana.

The Pacers gave up three players and three first-round picks to land Siakam last season. It was a bold move that kickstarted their run to the conference finals. Indiana knew they had a star in Tyrese Haliburton and were not shy about giving him a co-star.

The Pacers had to re-sign Siakam after giving up so much to acquire him, but they may regret it. Bleacher Report named him among the offseason contracts to age the worst and here is a look at why Indiana will regret the signing.

Pascal Siakam must play like an All-Star to live up to new contract

Siakam is making 30 percent of the salary cap in the 2024-25 season, but his raises do not keep up with cap jumps. The NBA’s new media rights deal will have the cap going up ten percent each year, which puts Siakam’s $52.2 million in the final year of his contract at just 27.9 percent of the Pacers available dollars.

Siakam turned 30 in April and will be 34 before hitting free agency again. Fans have seen some swings in his production and the Pacers need the 6’8 forward playing like an All-Star to have a shot at contending. Siakam made it in 2020 and 2023 but has not always shined.

He should have a few more years left of his prime, but any drop-off will have the Pacers in a difficult spot. Indiana already has defensive concerns and cannot afford to have him turn into a negative. If his scoring and minutes tick down, Siakam could be a role player being paid to be their number two option.

Tons of downside and questions exist about how Pascal Siakam performs on his new contract. Worst case scenario is he drops to 18 points per game and struggles on defense over the final two seasons of this deal. It leaves Indiana wanting more and prevents any team from taking on his contract. They finally get him off their books at the 2027 trade deadline, but things have already gone south.

He just helped the Pacers reach the conference finals. Will that prove to be a fluke or the start of an impressive run for the franchise? Nobody knows, but the franchise believes in Spicy P being a strong fit next to Tyrese Haliburton. So far they were right, so fans should trust it.

The Indiana Pacers will not sneak up on any team next season. They were a surprise in 2024, but not anymore. Does that impact their success? Can Pascal Siakam outplay his new contract? There are plenty of questions, but only time will tell. Regret feels likely, but LeBron James and Stephen Curry are rewriting what a player’s prime can look like. Stay tuned to see how it all shakes out.