The Indiana Pacers announced today that they have completed a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans that sends young guard Kira Lewis Jr to the Pacers.
Lewis, a 2020 lottery pick, has been with the Pelicans for the last three-plus seasons. But New Orleans was just over the luxury tax line this season, and they had a chance to save some money by getting their team salary under that barrier. Moving on from Lewis in exchange for no salary in return helps them do that.
As a result, Lewis is headed to the Pacers, as is a 2024 second-round draft pick. The only second rounder that the Pelicans own is the worst selection between their own and Chicago's, so that is presumably the pick that is headed to Indiana. As of this writing, that would be the 51st pick in the 2024 draft, and it now belongs to Indiana
In exchange for Lewis and the draft compensation, the Pacers sent New Orleans cash considerations. According to a league source, the blue and gold sent the smallest amount of cash that is legal to send in a trade.
Lewis, 22, has played in 118 games during his NBA career. This season, he has 15 appearances and is averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists per game. He was not typically in the Pelicans rotation.
The young guard won't stick in Indiana, though. As reported earlier today, he is a part of the package that the Pacers will send to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for former All-Star forward Pascal Siakam. His salary, and perhaps his small amount of value as a young player, were key in completing the deal.
Lewis has a $5.7 million cap hit this season that the blue and gold absorbed into their available cap space. Doing so allows the team to re-aggregate his salary in a different trade immediately, meaning he can be sent to Toronto in a bigger deal without delay. That mechanic helped bring everything together from a transaction perspective.
The Pacers, until they make other moves, have a full roster right now including Lewis. They are just under the salary cap line. Pending physicals, expect to see the young guard traded to Toronto in short order.
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