The Pacers are viewed by some rival executives as the leader in the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic .
Indiana has long been in the market for a power forward who can match up with bigger wings and forwards, and reportedly made an effort to land OG Anunoby before the Raptors sent him to New York. The Pacers also control all their own future first-round picks and have some intriguing youngsters whom they could be willing to discuss in a deal for an impact player.
However, during a Q&A session on Threads today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said that he believes the Pacers are “very, very determined” not to include their 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker in a trade. Walker hasn’t played much so far this season, logging just 100 total minutes across 12 NBA appearances, but Indiana is “very high” on the rookie forward, per Wojnarowski.
Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Siakam doesn’t view Sacramento as a good long-term fit for him, according to Amick , who hears from a pair of league sources that the Kings should have “very little, if any, optimism” about re-signing the Raptors forward if he’s traded there. No matter where he eventually ends up, Siakam will be seeking a long-term, maximum-salary contract, Amick adds.
- Elsewhere in his Q&A on Threads , Wojnarowski says that he believes the Hawks are open to “almost anything” at the trade deadline and suggests that the Trae Young /Dejounte Murray backcourt pairing appears to have run its course. Atlanta continues to discuss Murray trade possibilities with teams around the NBA, according to Wojnarowski.
- The Pistons haven’t made any roster moves since team owner Tom Gores promised that changes were coming, but it’s not for lack of trying, Wojnarowski writes on Threads . Woj suggests that potential trade partners may not be ready to deal yet and says he expects Detroit to make trades by next month’s deadline that change the make-up of the roster. Exploring that subject, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic took a look at some possible trade targets for the Pistons, discussing Nets forward Royce O’Neale and Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins , among others.