Raptors trading All-Star Pascal Siakam to Pacers for Bruce Brown, multiple 1st-round draft picks

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to trade Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

The Pacers will send a package in return to Toronto that includes Bruce Brown Jr. and three first-round draft picks.

Siakam, 29, joins a Pacers team that’s broken out this season behind the continued emergence of All-Star point guard Tyrese Halliburton. A two-time All-Star, Siakam will join versatile two-way center Myles Turner alongside Halliburton as part of the core in Indiana if he remains with the Pacers long-term. Siakam is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season while shooting 52.2% from the field and 31.7% from 3-point distance.

The trade of Siakam further signals a rebuild in Toronto that began earnest with the trade of O.G. Anunoby to the New York Knicks in December. The Raptors received 23-year-old RJ Barrett, 24-year-old Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick in return for Anunoby. With the Siakam trade they’ll add a cache of first-round draft capital and a strong defender and leader in the 27-year-old Brown.

Brown was a key role player for the Denver Nuggets in their run to the NBA championship last season. He was a coveted player on the free-agent market and signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers last offseason. He’s now leaving Indiana after playing 33 games with the Pacers. His presence will be missed on a Pacers team that thrives on offense but ranks 26th in the NBA in defensive rating.

Like Anunoby, Siakam is playing on an expiring contract. Barring an extension with the Pacers, he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason at the conclusion of a four-year, $137 million deal. He’s reportedly seeking a max extension.