The Indiana Pacers’ wondrous 2023-24 campaign has come to a swift end after the Boston Celtics swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s a bittersweet conclusion to their season, with the Pacers re-establishing much of their popularity and proving themselves to be bonafide playoff contenders. To that point, the rise of Tyrese Haliburton has been invaluable in this process. After being shipped to Indiana in Feb. 2022 as part of the Sacramento Kings’ package for Domantas Sabonis, he became an All-NBA point guard.
This season’s January trade for Pascal Siakam has been another boon for the franchise. Acquired for pennies on the dollar in a trade with the Toronto Raptors, he raised the team’s offensive ceiling far more than Bruce Brown.
However, Siakam’s looming free agency has long been a talking point, as he previously stated that he would like to remain with the team that drafted him. Indeed, one of the obstacles to Toronto trading Siakam was the question of whether he’d re-sign with the team that made a move for him. As it turns out, the Pacers were the team to take a leap of faith.
Pascal Siakam Sounds Off On Free Agency
Despite Siakam’s fit with the team, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be back, but he likely will be. Speaking to reporters after the Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs, he addressed the possibility of his return.
“Obviously, I’m not going to talk about all (of) that,” Siakam says of the chance he re-signs with the Pacers. “All I can say is that it’s been a blessing. I’m really appreciative of everything. I think coming from where I come from, it means a lot. The support I’ve received here is something that I was kind of missing.”
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam on free agency: “All I can say is that it’s been a blessing. I’m really appreciative of everything. I think coming from where I come from, it means a lot. The support I’ve received here is something that I was kind of missing. Having all that, seeing… pic.twitter.com/cYdW5K6yGP
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 28, 2024
“Having all that, seeing how the city breathes basketball, and how much support they give to the team, just being here for the home games, it’s incredible,” Siakam continues candidly. “How would you not be a part of that? I’m just really blessed and happy how this has been. In terms of the future, whatever happens is gonna happen.”
Acquired by Indiana in an attempt to balance their perimeter-based attack, Siakam’s been exactly what Indiana hoped for. A two-time All-Star, he averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game after being traded to the Pacers. In that time, he shot 54.9 percent from the field and what would be a career-high 38.9 percent from 3.
In the playoffs, Siakam continued his strong play, averaging 21.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He made just 29.8 percent of his 3s. However, he still managed to convert 54.1 percent of his field goal attempts with elite efficiency inside the arc.
The 3o-year-old’s combination of experience, craftiness, athleticism, and touch were unparalleled in Indiana.
