Woj on the SIAKAM TRADE: Pascal is EAGER to stay with the Pacers – Woj | NBA Today

Woj on the SIAKAM TRADE: Pascal is EAGER to stay with the Pacers – Woj | NBA Today

We have to start with some breaking news the Indiana Pacers they have acquired Allstar forward Pascal cakam in a three- team deal that sends Bruce Brown Jordan NOA and three first round picks to the Toronto Raptors that’s what sources told are Adrien W narowski so w how did this

Deal get done here uh a lot of negotiation a lot of different trade and package scenarios between Toronto and Indiana sakam is going to be a free agent this summer he had leverage in these trade talk because nobody wanted to trade for p Pascal cakam without having some confidence that he would

Resign with them and Indiana has that confidence Tyrese halberton uh his relationship with Pascal cakam they talked and the and in talking to those around sakam today he’s eager to talk about an extension this summer uh with Indiana but the three first round picks

To this year Indiana’s Z and then a uh a lesser pick uh that they have owed from uh other teams and then a 2026 first round pick but this is massive for Indiana they tried uh prior to the OG anobi trade to New York Indiana was trying to

See if they could trade for both anobi and Pascal cakam they didn’t have enough to get that done or they weren’t willing to offer enough to get that done anobi goes to New York but then Indiana stayed on the Raptors Kevin Pritchard Messi Jerry the president Toronto the

President Indiana kept talking and then really late this morning they finally landed uh on an agreement and now Pascal sakam goes to Indiana this is a team that offensively has been good as uh anybody in a very long time in the league and this is now a Toronto team

You know really in a full rebuild and Messiah Jerry’s plan is to build that roster around Scotty Barnes get younger players around his age you saw that in the Knicks deal and now three first round picks uh in this trade you know Toronto again mov moves toward a rebuild

And now there’s an Indiana team you know that gets an Allstar level forward to plug in and listen you talk to players around the league there are no shortage of guys who love the idea of playing with Tyrese Halbert and seum was among them and one last thing you know when

The league put in this new salary cap and this second apron and this real real limitation uh on the way big Market teams could stockpile star players you’re starting to see now SE yakum teams like Golden State or La uh others it is hard to have three stars in this

League right now the the League’s goal was to start spreading that Talent around and that’s part of the reason now pescal seak lands with the Indiana Pacers and now we see Tyrese halberton and Pascal cakam team up on an Indiana team that went all the way to the finals

Of the inseason tournament uh in 2023 Michael wilbon we know that Pascal sakam was one of the most sought after players as we got closer to to the trade deadline what’s your first blush reaction here um I care about postseason more than inseason and that’s what we’re

Looking at with yes they do but that’s what we’re looking at so how good does this make the Pacers I mean let’s set Toronto aside it’s rebuild we’ll get back to them in three years now how good does this make them when Halle Burton’s out there and healthy again I presume

This means Buddy heeld is staying wo is that a reasonable presumption or still a couple weeks left to the trade deadline they do value heeled shooting shortterm you know remains to be seen if he’s still with this team after the deadline well even after the deadline when we see

Where they are so when we look at the top of the East and we look at Boston and we then presumably look at Milwaukee Philadelphia does this push the Pacers past the Knicks does it push them into contention still defensively challenged with say Philadelphia we’re still looking at Boston Milwaukee at the top

Of the East but where how high does this push the Pacers I I don’t I I still don’t have them over New York let alone Philadelphia Milwaukee or or Boston okay uh I do think this team has improved with Pascal on their team he’s an upgrade from Bruce Brown essentially um

And Pascal is a guy who can run the floor with Tyrese’s Pace the way he pushes the ball you get S cakam out in the you know lanes that that’s that that could be valuable the three picks going I do like that Tyrese is this guy’s 23

Years old I I I look at OKC and how they had Shay a couple years ago and he was still one of the best guards in the league they’ve had all these picks and they keep surrounding him with new Young Talent as this team grows out yep that

Is the risk they’re taking but again obviously there is an assurance that he’s going to be back there in Indianapolis so for short short term they are better so no the Pacers aren’t as good as Boston Milwaukee and Philadelphia that can’t be the Benchmark for a trade like this especially for a

Small Market team like the Pacers that can’t go grocery shopping at the Superstar grocery store like they have to get who’s available to them and you just nailed the most exciting part of this which is those two dudes running the floor together Tyrese Halbert and

Pascal sakam that is going to be a show you have a shooting center and Miles Turner who can space the floor for seak Pascal can guard every position on the floor for a team that has been abysmal at defense is this team going to be a

Favorite in the first round no I would expect them to lose in the first round if they get in but ask the Bucks how fun this team was to play right before this trade like they’re going to have a puncher chance if they get in the

Playoffs and the three picks look it’s I think Toronto actually did pretty good to get three first given his free agency but you got to understand two of them are going to be out this year and so that obligation exhausts itself and so the Pacers have stuff to trade if and

When they want to upgrade this roster down the line they haven’t handicapped themselves like the clippers for seven eight years in draft Equity this team is going to be good you have two Allstars Pascal seak is an Allstar whether he makes it this year or not the gu’s an

All-Star players 29 Indiana can’t be picky at 1’s 29 1’s 23 whatever he is like this is going to be a really good and fun team and sometimes you just got to have some fun in theba our teams like the 76ers the Golden State Warriors folks that maybe had an eye on Pascal

Sakam what are they pivoting to now that Pascal is headed Indiana yeah I I don’t think seak was really a serious consideration for either of those teams because they knew that you were going to have to Max him out this summer in free agency and I think what Golden State

Would have to give up and I think Philadelphia’s I think they feel like they’re working from a position of Leverage and they can be patient that maybe they could even get better out there but uh I think for Indiana Again them having the cap space this summer uh

That D the market because teams knew if I even a team like Sacramento if I trade for Pascal seak sakam without Assurance or without confidence he’s going to resign with me this guy can just walk and we know there are teams with cap space where there’s a mutual interest

That was Indiana that gave Indiana leverage throughout these talks I think a lot of the other deals we may be see between now and the trade deadline with sakam and anobi both now out of Toronto you know they may not be of the level of of these players it may be more role

Players moving around but history shows us Str things strange things happen before the trade deadline players become available who none of us expected to become available it happens almost every year I’m guessing it’ll probably happen this year we just don’t know who it is yet and look to your point I I think

Toronto did okay here because I don’t think a lot of these teams are going to go all in for Pascal sakam he’s shooting 31% from three which makes him a tricky fit on some of these he’s been hot lately and to to me like Philadelphia embiid maybe we’ll see where they go

Sacramento is the interesting one that I think had a big decision to make and they’ve had a couple gut punch losses in row we’ll talk about them but I I I’m excited about this trade and if you look at the roads not taken who is the team

That was just going to jump all over themselves to get past galaka I’m not sure there was one right now yeah Atlanta had been a team go back through the summer who had tried really hard to get involved on that and then I think they got to a point here where the idea

Of them trading for a player like that and having the confidence to resign them and maybe going in a different direction roster wise age wise closer to what Toronto is doing in Indiana the secondary headline here seems to be Oh Happy Day for small Market teams I mean

Speaking to wo the the the salary cap implications and which teams are able to get involved in the only ways they can get involved I mean we we’ve learned by now the big star free agents don’t even necessarily go to New York well Brooklyn not not Manhattan but this is the way

That’s yeah exactly Austin I mean this is the way you mentioned Sacramento perhaps on Deck uh Indiana coming through with this trade I I I may be a little bit higher and I’m I’m a old school defensive person first I may be a little bit higher on the Pacers in the

Postseason than you guys I mean I mean see akam actually gives them some defensive presence they have none now you would think he’d come in with that and halton’s got to be thrilled I mean it’s just there’s also you know about this better than any of us a spirit to

That locker room Austin you would accept you would expect to be boosted absolutely I mean now they’re they’re getting an All-Star type player they’re losing Bruce Brown who was a good role player but now you’re getting an All-Star guy you’re giving also Halton in terms of pressure on his shoulders

Every night he has another guy he can confidently go down the stretch with that he has confidence in who can handle his own it makes them much deeper and in terms of matchup with them and Milwaukee another guy who you can throw at Giannis in terms of guarding him they have the

Naith guy who gives him problems but now you’re throwing a another lengthy strong competitive you know guy who can play both ends of the ball a coach of Rick Carlow who knows how to use exactly better bring why buddy H bring the shooting is they need shooting now in

Indiana who somehow some way is unfamiliar with what Pascal cakam is bringing to the table just take a look here points rebounds assists for his career in Toronto this is what you are getting in Indiana it’s a lot of points [Applause] [Applause] p

Austin Rivers, Zach Lowe, Michael Wilbon and Adrian Wojnarowski join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to react to and break down the breaking news that Pascal Siakam has been traded in a 3-team deal from the Toronto Raptors to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers receive Pascal Siakam, the Raptors receive Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis and 3 first-round picks and the New Orleans Pelicans receive a second-round pick via Indiana.

0:00 Pascal Siakam is headed to Indy
1:00 Pacers-Raptors-Pelicans trade details
2:45 Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton teaming up
5:16 Do the Pacers now have a chance in the playoffs?
7:15 How did Indy get Siakam?
8:39 Pacers’ post-season hopes

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