Pacers tipped to 'probe' Raptors over impending free agent

Pascal Siakam is in the final year of his $136.9 million deal. He has been floated in trade rumors all season. Now that Toronto has moved on from OG Anunoby, Siakam's future with the franchise has become a hot topic within the NBA media. 

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who was participating in his weekly Q&A session on Instagram Threads, the Indiana Pacers could be a team that continues testing the Raptors' resolve to retain their star forward.

"I believe the Pacers will continue to be a team that probes on Toronto’s Pascal Siakam," Wojnarowski wrote.

In a report by insider Marc Stein on Monday, Siakam would prefer to enter free agency before making a decision on his future. Part of that is due to any team that acquires him via trade only being able to sign him to a two-year contract extension.

"Siakam’s widely presumed preference is playing out the rest of the season in Toronto and proceeding to free agency to gain ultimate control," Stein reported. "...Any team that trades for Siakam before the Feb. 8 buzzer — now that we've passed Dec. 30 — can only offer him a two-year extension. Word is Siakam, if he's dealt, is unlikely to sign off on a two-year extension and would prefer, again, to proceed to unrestricted free agency."

The Pacers have been making solid strides since entering a rebuild. They're one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA. Siakam would take their roster to a new level and give Tyrese Haliburton the star teammate he needs. However, the Pacers probably won't risk their trajectory to acquire a player who is unlikely to sign an extension. 

Instead, it makes far more sense for any interested team to wait until the summer before attempting to acquire Siakam. Teams could work out a sign-and-trade deal if they don't have enough cap space to sign Siakam outright. 

Of course, the Raptors may yet have a change of heart and look to tie Siakam down to a new contract. They can offer approximately $190 million over four years but must make a deal before July 30. As such, if the Raptors don't receive an offer for Siakam that makes sense for them by Feb. 8, they will have two options remaining. Re-sign the All-Star forward to a max deal, or lose him in free agency just one year after losing Fred VanVleet for nothing. 

Toronto is in a tough spot. Siakam holds all the cards. The Pacers can probe all they want. If Siakam isn't interested in a short-term deal, he's going to hold out until free agency in the summer.