Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam (43) drives at Cleveland Cavaliers' Max Strus during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. The Raptors traded Siakam to the Indiana Pacers Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Siakam Indiana-bound as the Raptors make big deal with the Pacers

Trio of first round picks headed Toronto’s way in NBA deal

The Toronto Raptors have traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, according to multiple media reports.

ESPN reported Wednesday the Raptors will receive Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks from the Pacers in return. Toronto also gets Kira Lewis from New Orleans as part of the deal.

The Athletic reported Tuesday night the Pacers and Raptors were nearing a deal for Siakam, a two-time all-star and one of the last remaining ties to Toronto’s 2019 championship team.

Siakam is in the last year of a four-year, US$136.9 million deal. He will make $37.8 million this season.

Though the Raptors have struggled to a 15-25 record, Siakam put together another strong individual campaign through 39 games in Toronto, averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

The blockbuster is yet another major move for a Raptors team undergoing changes amid a difficult couple of seasons.

Toronto sent longtime wing OG Anunoby, forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks for Canadian forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley on Dec. 30.

At the start of the season the Raptors had no draft picks in this summer’s NBA draft. They got Detroit’s second-round pick in the deal with the Knicks and seem to have restocked their draft shelves even more with Indiana’s trio of selections.

Siakam and Anunoby’s departures from Toronto means that Montreal’s Chris Boucher is the last player on the Raptors who was part of the team for its NBA championship run in 2019.

The reported deal comes two days after Siakam played his 510th game with Toronto, surpassing Chris Bosh for fifth most games in team history.

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