It has been nearly a year since the Indiana Pacers traded for one-time champion Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. In that time, Siakam has become a fantastic secondary star to Tyrese Haliburton and played an essential role in Indiana's conference finals run last year. Especially considering that the Pacers did not give up anything of note, the early consensus was that they easily won the trade over the Raptors. This might still be true, but it is not as clear-cut as it previously was.
Siakam is still playing some good basketball this season, but he is in the midst of a down year, especially in comparison to his Raptors days. Granted, his role in Indiana is different, but it is still important to mention nonetheless.
On the flip side, the Raptors got a solid return from the Pacers in hindsight. Losing Siakam was tough, but everybody knew the Raptors were not going to re-sign him in the offseason regardless since he no longer fit their timeline.
Initially considered an easy win for the Pacers, this trade now looks more even than people thought. Additionally, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes took it a step further, suggesting that the Raptors actually made out better in the deal.
The Pacers may have lost the Pascal Siakam trade
In his article, Hughes re-graded some of the biggest trades that took the league by storm last year. This included the Pacers' trade for Siakam. In the re-grade, Hughes gave the Pacers a B+ and the Raptors an A-.
Hughes says that, while Siakam has been good in Indiana, the Raptors made out better because they were going to lose him in free agency anyway and landed Ja'Kobe Walter with one of the draft picks from this deal.
"Siakam didn't make sense in the Raptors' longer-term plans, and moving him ahead of last year's deadline eliminated the possibility of losing the two-time All-NBA selection for nothing in free agency," Hughes wrote.
"One of the 2024 firsts Toronto got became Ja'Kobe Walter, who's shown some flashes of potential as a rookie, while the other wound up with the Utah Jazz in the deal that brought Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to the Raptors. The latter has been one of this season's most improved players."
In his rookie season, Walter has already started seven games for the team. On the year, he is averaging 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. While his stats are nothing to write home about, the 20-year-old is starting to grow in his role and possesses a lot of potential.
While this alone is not enough to say the Raptors won this trade, it is fair to give them bonus points since they were going to lose Siakam regardless. It is always better to get at least some value in return as opposed to losing a franchise player for nothing, as Hughes mentions.
Furthermore, the Raptors got Bruce Brown Jr. in return, though it is expected they will move on from him at some point this season. For Pacers fans, it may be worth monitoring what they get in return for him.
By no means should the Pacers regret making this trade. Siakam played great upon joining the team and is now under contract for the foreseeable future. However, this idea that they decisively won the trade is gone, and a lot of the momentum has shifted towards' Toronto's side.