3 surprising reasons the blockbuster Siakam trade doesn't make the Pacers contenders
By Tyler Key
The Indiana Pacers are easily one of the most likable and easy-to-cheer-for teams in the NBA this season. During the offseason, Indiana’s fanbase was even deemed as the best to join if you were a new fan of the NBA.
Tyrese Habilurton was the biggest factor in this, but the huge recent trade that brought Pascal Siakam to Indiana has intensified the rise of the Pacers. Despite this A+ trade, the hype train needs to calm down a bit because this team is still a couple of years away from truly competing for an NBA championship.
First off, let’s make this very clear: This trade is amazing for Indiana. They gave up Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks in order to pick up Siakam, but the 6’8” power forward is well worth that package.
That is, of course, assuming the Pacers sign him to a long-term contract this offseason, which feels like a given at this point based on all the intel from the team as well as Siakam himself. The 29-year-old is a two-time All-NBA player, has averaged 21+ PPG in each of the last four seasons, and has a good 3-4 season minimum before he starts to slow down.
The pairing of Siakam and Haliburton will be a great one and Myles Turner should work well with the Cameroonian beside him in the frontcourt. Siakam also fits the extremely fast-paced offense of the Pacers well, so the team shouldn’t skip a beat or have to adjust to him at all when he suits up for Indiana.
Regardless of this seamless fit and all of the clear positives of this deal, it is important to note that this deal itself does not suddenly make the Pacers title contenders. and there are three big reasons why: