Pascal Siakam had a great stint with the Pacers over the second half of the 2023-24 season.
The Indiana Pacers’ 2023-24 season is over. It ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, a stage that no one would have assumed them to be in play for at the start of the season. The continued emergence of Tyrese Haliburton and a mid-season trade for Pascal Siakam has given Indiana a bright future, though they have some work to do to.
This season threw a lot at Siakam. He was traded from the only professional team he had ever played for, the Toronto Raptors, and joined a team with a radically different style of play. Given the chance to remain in playoff contention, he made the most of it, helping his new team win two series and enjoying his time (so far) with the Pacers.
“It’s been a blessing…Seeing how the city breathes basketball and how much support they give to the team. It’s incredible.”
Pascal Siakam talks about being in Indiana and the support he’s received from Pacers fans.
“All I can say is that…yeah, it’s been a blessing. I’m really appreciative of everything,” Siakam said. “Coming from where I come from, it means a lot. The support that I’ve received here is something that I was kind of missing. Having all that and seeing how the city just breathes basketball and how much support they give to the team, just being here, the home games, it’s incredible.”
The Pacers parted with Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, two 2024 first-round picks (their own and a pick that belonged originally to the Oklahoma City Thunder) and a conditional 2026 first-rounder to land Siakam. It was a major gamble to bring in a star player in the middle of the season, especially on a team that’s still young and on the rise. It has paid off so far but Indiana clearly wants more than just one playoff run.
"It's been a blessing…Seeing how the city breathes basketball and how much support they give to the team. It's incredible."
Pascal Siakam talks about being in Indiana and the support he's received from Pacers fans. pic.twitter.com/hbJ9SEizRL
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 28, 2024
Although Siakam overcame a rough start to his Indy tenure, losing six of his first nine games, he eventually got going with Haliburton and led the Pacers to their first playoff series win since 2014, providing some key performances along the way. Now, the front office has to step up and keep the veteran star around for the future.
Pascal Siakam heads into free agency after helping Pacers reach ECF
Siakam is now entering unrestricted free agency. At age 30, he’s bound to secure one more huge payday — and the Pacers have plenty of pressure to be the team that does so.
The Pacers ran a huge risk by trading for Siakam, who could now leave in the open market for nothing. But adding him during the season gives them two advantages. First, it gave them and Siakam a test drive together to see if the two sides were a good fit for the long term. Second, it allowed Indiana to offer Siakam more money than any other team. The Pacers can offer him a five-year maximum contract worth roughly $247 million in total. The most that other teams can offer is a four-year max worth roughly $183 million. Even if the Pacers only want to sign him to a four-year deal, theirs can be worth roughly $7 million more in total.
Based on Siakam’s assessment of his brief Indiana tenure, he seems to have greatly enjoyed it. With few other teams that have space for a maximum contract, the Pacers don’t have much other competition to bring him back.
Although the Pacers couldn’t scratch a game from the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the fact that they got there and remained competitive despite Haliburton missing the last two games says a lot. Siakam and Halibrton are surrounded by solid role players, veterans and youngsters alike. This could be Siakam’s best chance to lead a good team for the rest of his prime years.
In a radio interview the day after the Pacers’ season ended, head coach Rick Carlisle said that the top priority this offseason is to re-sign Pascal Siakam. It’s a clear, important goal for Indiana as the franchise looks to get back to its winning ways for good.
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