I never want to see Myles in another jersey. Make that man a Pacer his whole career
agentfelix
Pt1 Due to Character limit:
The Indiana Pacers were Pascal Siakam’s preference all along.
Once you get past the complicated dynamic that existed between him and the Toronto Raptors, who never managed to make him feel fully appreciated but also held part of his heart until the end, you start to see why Indiana was the place he always wanted to be. If, that is, the Raptors had truly decided that his eight-year run north of the border should come to an end.
The clarity finally came on Wednesday, when the 29-year-old, two-time All-Star was sent to that Hoosier basketball-loving state in the Midwest, and the fit — for now and the long-term — was celebrated with equal ecstasy on both sides. There was instant talk about the high likelihood of Siakam re-signing in Indiana this summer, with his looming free agency and the problematic prospect of him being a rental not nearly as much of a concern for these Pacers (23-17; 7th in the East) as it was for the rest of his suitors. He’s known to be seeking a full-term, max-salary deal and had previously signaled a desire to keep his options open, so it’s quite telling that there was a shared willingness to frame their future in this sort of way. This would not have been the case with Atlanta or Golden State — and certainly not with Sacramento. I’m not entirely sure about Dallas. And so much for the notion of him joining former Raptors coach Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia this summer. So long as this goes like they all think it will, Siakam appears to be all-in on wanting to be a Pacer. To hear the key figures from both sides break down the deal afterward was to understand why rival executives had pegged the Pacers as the leader in the clubhouse here some weeks ago — if not months. For starters, Siakam feels seen and respected by this Pacers group. That sort of holistic observation might sound strange, especially since this partnership hasn’t even started yet, but it’s born out of actual events that all played a part in forming how he saw this team.
He remembers how Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan showed him so much love in 2016, when the then-Charlotte Hornets GM and the Raptors’ Masai Ujiri were the only ones telling Siakam’s camp that he was in serious consideration for their first-round pick (the Hornets ultimately took Malachi Richardson with the 22nd pick, then later traded him to Sacramento for Marco Bellinelli; the Raptors took Siakam with the 27th pick). He remembers hearing that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle voted for him as an All-Star reserve last season when he didn’t make the initial cut but was added to the team as an injury replacement. Rest assured Siakam is aware of Carlisle’s championship credentials as a coach (with the 2010-11 Mavericks) and as a player (with the 1985-86 Celtics).
These might seem like small moments, but Siakam spent these recent years on the lookout for league-wide revelations about how certain teams truly saw him and his game. If being the second-most important player during the Raptors’ only title in franchise history wasn’t good enough to secure his future there, with Toronto’s intentions of moving him becoming more and more evident throughout this past year, then who could blame him for becoming cynical about the ways of this NBA world?
So he would remember the intel from some interested teams that raised red flags, or ponder the insight from others that was far more flattering. He wanted a place that wanted him, and he wanted the X’s and O’s to make sense in the kind of way that left him excited about what might lie ahead. In that regard, this Pacers deal is a match made in hoops heaven. It should surprise no one that Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton has everything to do with the dopamine that is now flowing through Siakam’s veins. The fourth-year phenom is the kind of rising star who attracts elite talent, not only with his elite passing ability, absurd pick-and-roll skills and three-level scoring but also with that inclusive leadership style that has drawn comparisons to Steph Curry and Steve Nash.
His dazzling showing at the league’s inaugural In-Season Tournament was perfect timing on this front, with the infectious nature of his play there for all the mainstream world to see. The Pacers’ ability to beat the title-contending Milwaukee Bucks in four of five matchups is the kind of thing that makes you wonder just how dangerous they might be once late April rolls around. It was a matter of when, not if, another All-Star player like Siakam tried to find his way into Haliburton’s orbit.
But as was the case with the Pacers front office and the coaching staff, Siakam is also well aware that a deal like this doesn’t go down unless the organization’s most important player, that being Haliburton, is giving a hearty thumbs-up. League sources say that was certainly what happened here, with the Pacers granting the 23-year-old the kind of voice and influence in this trade that has become the league-wide norm for any player who is on a max deal (and, it’s worth remembering, that former Pacers star Paul George has said wasn’t granted to him before he decided to push his way out of town).
As Carlisle discussed after practice in Sacramento on Wednesday, Haliburton’s ability to become one of the league’s most dynamic young players has earned him the right to be heard on the moves that matter most. And once he signed that five-year, $260 million extension last summer, it became smart business to make sure he’s on board with deals of this magnitude.
“Well, I mean, he’s involved in a lot of things,” Carlisle said when asked about the dynamic between Haliburton and the organization’s top decision-makers. “It’s not appropriate to get into any more detail about it than that, but we have great respect for him as a person. We have respect for his knowledge and feel for the game, and his teammates’. And that’s about it. “When you’ve got a guy who’s a max player, he becomes a partner. I’ve said that before. I don’t think there’s any need to expound on it anymore. It’s pretty obvious.” Which brings us to the not-so-obvious part: How Siakam might fit with Myles Turner. As the longtime Pacers center sat courtside at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday, there was an unmistakable irony that came with the conversation about the state of this Indiana squad. For years, there was chatter about the imperfect fit between him and former Pacers big man and current Kings star Domantas Sabonis.
The February 2022 trade that sent Haliburton to Indiana and Sabonis to Sacramento brought an end to that discussion, but it’s fair to wonder if those types of concerns might remain. The answer, as I learned from Turner and speaking to sources close to Siakam, is a resounding no. And the reason, it seems, is rooted in the fact this pairing is one that the newest Pacer has been hoping would come to fruition for years now.
During all those years in Toronto, Siakam would tell people close to him how Turner was the kind of stretch five who would work wonders for his game. After his dream scenario of the Raptors somehow landing Kevin Durant, league sources say, Turner was next up on his list of players with whom he would love to play.
fuzzynavel34
Love the paragraph about Siakam thinking Myles was his perfect frontcourt partner 😍
KangTheConqueror9
Thanks OP for putting the pay walled text below. I’m so fucking pumped after reading this! This man is gonna be around for years!
Phoeniyx
Now the reason Raps traded him was bc the FO wasn’t ready to pay him max. Is Indiana good with paying that? Is Hali #1 option on a championship team with Pascal being #2?
The_onlyPope
Really, really excited to see this squad when Hali is back.
6 Comments
I never want to see Myles in another jersey. Make that man a Pacer his whole career
Pt1 Due to Character limit:
The Indiana Pacers were Pascal Siakam’s preference all along.
Once you get past the complicated dynamic that existed between him and the Toronto Raptors, who never managed to make him feel fully appreciated but also held part of his heart until the end, you start to see why Indiana was the place he always wanted to be. If, that is, the Raptors had truly decided that his eight-year run north of the border should come to an end.
The clarity finally came on Wednesday, when the 29-year-old, two-time All-Star was sent to that Hoosier basketball-loving state in the Midwest, and the fit — for now and the long-term — was celebrated with equal ecstasy on both sides. There was instant talk about the high likelihood of Siakam re-signing in Indiana this summer, with his looming free agency and the problematic prospect of him being a rental not nearly as much of a concern for these Pacers (23-17; 7th in the East) as it was for the rest of his suitors. He’s known to be seeking a full-term, max-salary deal and had previously signaled a desire to keep his options open, so it’s quite telling that there was a shared willingness to frame their future in this sort of way.
This would not have been the case with Atlanta or Golden State — and certainly not with Sacramento. I’m not entirely sure about Dallas. And so much for the notion of him joining former Raptors coach Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia this summer. So long as this goes like they all think it will, Siakam appears to be all-in on wanting to be a Pacer.
To hear the key figures from both sides break down the deal afterward was to understand why rival executives had pegged the Pacers as the leader in the clubhouse here some weeks ago — if not months. For starters, Siakam feels seen and respected by this Pacers group. That sort of holistic observation might sound strange, especially since this partnership hasn’t even started yet, but it’s born out of actual events that all played a part in forming how he saw this team.
He remembers how Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan showed him so much love in 2016, when the then-Charlotte Hornets GM and the Raptors’ Masai Ujiri were the only ones telling Siakam’s camp that he was in serious consideration for their first-round pick (the Hornets ultimately took Malachi Richardson with the 22nd pick, then later traded him to Sacramento for Marco Bellinelli; the Raptors took Siakam with the 27th pick). He remembers hearing that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle voted for him as an All-Star reserve last season when he didn’t make the initial cut but was added to the team as an injury replacement. Rest assured Siakam is aware of Carlisle’s championship credentials as a coach (with the 2010-11 Mavericks) and as a player (with the 1985-86 Celtics).
These might seem like small moments, but Siakam spent these recent years on the lookout for league-wide revelations about how certain teams truly saw him and his game. If being the second-most important player during the Raptors’ only title in franchise history wasn’t good enough to secure his future there, with Toronto’s intentions of moving him becoming more and more evident throughout this past year, then who could blame him for becoming cynical about the ways of this NBA world?
So he would remember the intel from some interested teams that raised red flags, or ponder the insight from others that was far more flattering. He wanted a place that wanted him, and he wanted the X’s and O’s to make sense in the kind of way that left him excited about what might lie ahead. In that regard, this Pacers deal is a match made in hoops heaven.
It should surprise no one that Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton has everything to do with the dopamine that is now flowing through Siakam’s veins. The fourth-year phenom is the kind of rising star who attracts elite talent, not only with his elite passing ability, absurd pick-and-roll skills and three-level scoring but also with that inclusive leadership style that has drawn comparisons to Steph Curry and Steve Nash.
His dazzling showing at the league’s inaugural In-Season Tournament was perfect timing on this front, with the infectious nature of his play there for all the mainstream world to see. The Pacers’ ability to beat the title-contending Milwaukee Bucks in four of five matchups is the kind of thing that makes you wonder just how dangerous they might be once late April rolls around. It was a matter of when, not if, another All-Star player like Siakam tried to find his way into Haliburton’s orbit.
But as was the case with the Pacers front office and the coaching staff, Siakam is also well aware that a deal like this doesn’t go down unless the organization’s most important player, that being Haliburton, is giving a hearty thumbs-up. League sources say that was certainly what happened here, with the Pacers granting the 23-year-old the kind of voice and influence in this trade that has become the league-wide norm for any player who is on a max deal (and, it’s worth remembering, that former Pacers star Paul George has said wasn’t granted to him before he decided to push his way out of town).
As Carlisle discussed after practice in Sacramento on Wednesday, Haliburton’s ability to become one of the league’s most dynamic young players has earned him the right to be heard on the moves that matter most. And once he signed that five-year, $260 million extension last summer, it became smart business to make sure he’s on board with deals of this magnitude.
“Well, I mean, he’s involved in a lot of things,” Carlisle said when asked about the dynamic between Haliburton and the organization’s top decision-makers. “It’s not appropriate to get into any more detail about it than that, but we have great respect for him as a person. We have respect for his knowledge and feel for the game, and his teammates’. And that’s about it.
“When you’ve got a guy who’s a max player, he becomes a partner. I’ve said that before. I don’t think there’s any need to expound on it anymore. It’s pretty obvious.”
Which brings us to the not-so-obvious part: How Siakam might fit with Myles Turner.
As the longtime Pacers center sat courtside at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday, there was an unmistakable irony that came with the conversation about the state of this Indiana squad. For years, there was chatter about the imperfect fit between him and former Pacers big man and current Kings star Domantas Sabonis.
The February 2022 trade that sent Haliburton to Indiana and Sabonis to Sacramento brought an end to that discussion, but it’s fair to wonder if those types of concerns might remain. The answer, as I learned from Turner and speaking to sources close to Siakam, is a resounding no. And the reason, it seems, is rooted in the fact this pairing is one that the newest Pacer has been hoping would come to fruition for years now.
During all those years in Toronto, Siakam would tell people close to him how Turner was the kind of stretch five who would work wonders for his game. After his dream scenario of the Raptors somehow landing Kevin Durant, league sources say, Turner was next up on his list of players with whom he would love to play.
Love the paragraph about Siakam thinking Myles was his perfect frontcourt partner 😍
Thanks OP for putting the pay walled text below. I’m so fucking pumped after reading this! This man is gonna be around for years!
Now the reason Raps traded him was bc the FO wasn’t ready to pay him max. Is Indiana good with paying that? Is Hali #1 option on a championship team with Pascal being #2?
Really, really excited to see this squad when Hali is back.