Once considered a lopsided trade, the Raptors-Pacers’ Pascal Siakam trade has shown remarkable results. After looking at how Siakam’s performance has helped Indy reach the Finals for the first time in 25 years, it has become clear that the Pacers won this trade.
In the series-clinching Game 6, Siakam bagged 31 points over the Knicks. This 3x All-Star also averaged 24.8 points on 52.4% shooting, i.e., 50% from 3, overall, clearly edging past Indy’s star, Tyrese Haliburton, for five votes to four in ECF’s MVP.
Even HC Rick Carlisle believes getting Siakam was the right call.
Rick Carlisle Feels Pascal Siakam Revolutionized Indiana’s Ambitions
Indy acquired Siakam along with a future second-round draft pick from the Pelicans in one of the biggest trades in the league’s history. In return, Raptors got Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis, Jordan Nwora, a first-round draft pick (2024), a 2024 pick swap, and a conditional 2026 selection.
Multiple assets were interchanged to make Indiana solid. The efforts are finally now showing, of course, with them emerging as clear winners.
The HC said, “Well, if you have the right player to build around, it can happen much faster than you think.” He followed, “Getting Tyrese made it very clear what our identity as a team needed to be. We needed to be a fast-paced team with shooting, and we had some good shooting at the time”.
“The Siakam trade took things to another level.” The power forward pockets an average annual salary of $47,237,568 as part of his four-year, $188,950,272 contract with the Indiana Pacers in July last year.
“I’m just a young kid from Cameroon, that moved to the U.S. when I was eighteen years old and gave everything to the game of basketball.”
—Pascal Siakam on what winning the Eastern Conference finals MVP trophy meant to him 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KMS0SKFRbs
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 1, 2025
Even when Tyrese Haliburton treaded the path carefully, Siakam was among the first in the team to start shooting double figures. He was smooth enough to answer anything that the Knicks, Cleveland, and the Bucks threw Indy’s way during the playoffs. Defensively, too, he’s helped Indy by not allowing any opponent to become a major threat.
Per Carlisle, it’s his consistency that’s led him here to win the ECF MVP. “Congratulations to Pascal. So deserving guy’s been a rock of consistency all year, and a lot of guys contributed to this game.”
How Siakam Changed Indy’s Landscape
Before Siakam, the Pacers had a 23-17 record, inching closer to dullness. Since he joined, Indy has made it to the Conference Finals twice, has won 50 games in a single season, and has revamped the culture in many years.
Maybe he was the missing piece in their puzzle. He’s brought in his offensive abilities, his ability to stand up in times when it is needed the most, and of course, his selflessness. He’s stepped up for the Pacers, time and again. As the Pacers came closer to the Conference Finals, his significance grew even more.
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Indy won the first game of this series, with Siakam dropping in 17 points, 6 assists, including the two most crucial ones in that game with less than a minute left on the clock.
In the second game, he scored 39 points, followed by 30 points in the fourth game. His offensive abilities are what Indy needed the most this season. His performance gave the Pacers a ray of hope that they have someone they can rely on at this crucial point in the series.
