With the Boston Celtics winning their 18th championship in franchise history on Monday night, a new league rule allowed teams to begin signing current players to extensions before the free agency moratorium period opens on June 30.
Among the teams that moved quickly to get pan to paper from a star before they got to the open market was the Indiana Pacers, which traded for Pascal Siakam at the deadline and made clear they planned to keep him long-term. A surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals only further illustrated Siakam’s value to raising the Pacers ceiling as a contender in the East, and there was little doubt they would present the former All-Star forward with a max offer.
Thanks to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, a new deal did got announced on Wednesday morning. Wojnarowski brought word of a 4-year max extension worth nearly $190 million that will keep Siakam in Naptown for the foreseeable future.
ESPN Sources: All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam intends to sign a new four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract to return to the Indiana Pacers. Siakam plans to sign deal once league’s free agency moratorium ends on July 6. pic.twitter.com/Klz10dQv9a
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 19, 2024
Indiana sent three first-round picks and Bruce Brown to the Toronto Raptors to bring Siakam on board, and right after the deal was announced, word spread that the veteran wing was excited about the possibility of sticking around and playing alongside Tyrese Haliburton for the foreseeable future. Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in his 41 regular season games with the Pacers this season, and maintained those averages across a terrific playoff run.
