Pacers acquire Pascal Siakam in trade with Raptors, Pelicans

The Indiana Pacers have acquired All-Star forward Pascal Siakam in a trade that sends  Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors, it was announced on Wednesday.

As part of a separate trade, the New Orleans Pelicans sent  Kira Lewis Jr. and a 2024 second-round pick to the Pacers, it was announced. The Pacers then shipped Lewis to the Raptors.

Two of the first-round picks going to the Raptors are for 2024 -- Indiana's own selection and the lesser of a Utah/ Houston/ LA Clippers/ Oklahoma City pick -- while the third is for 2026 (from Indiana), it was announced. 

"We're incredibly excited to welcome Pascal to Indiana," Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. "As a two-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All Star, Pascal is a player that our organization has long admired and respected. We feel that his unique offensive skillset will complement our style of play, while his defensive versatility will be a valuable asset to our team."

Siakam, who has spent all eight of his NBA seasons with Toronto, is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season. He is excited about the deal and is expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise this summer, sources told ESPN. 

Siakam, 29, can be a free agent in July. He is making nearly $38 million this season.

"I'm excited that Pascal is getting a first-class opportunity with the Pacers, being paired with Tyrese [Haliburton] and Myles [Turner] and being coached by a great coach in Rick Carlisle," Siakam's agent, Todd Ramasar, told Andscape.

"His future looks bright there."

The Pacers, who are No. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings, are the NBA's highest-scoring team this season. Siakam is going from Toronto, which ranks first in the league in fast-break points per game, to Indiana, which is No. 2.

The Pacers face the Raptors three more times this season, including twice in Toronto. Their next meeting is Valentine's Day in Toronto.

Siakam, who was an All-Star selection in 2020 and 2023, has averaged 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds over his career. He won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019 and is a two-time All-NBA selection.

The Pacers on Wednesday also waived veteran forward James Johnson, who had appeared in five games since signing in mid-December.

Brown, 27, will be playing for his fourth team in the past three seasons, after stints with the Pacers, Nuggets and Nets. He is averaging a career-high 12.1 points this season.

Nwora, 25, has scored 5.2 points per game.

Lewis appeared in 118 games -- all in a reserve role -- over parts of four seasons with the Pelicans and was averaging 2.9 points this season. By moving Lewis, the Pelicans will be in position to get below the luxury tax threshold.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.