This reassessment of the Siakam trade reveals a harsh truth that Pacers fans don’t want to hear

In his article, Hughes evaluated some of the biggest trades that took the league by storm last year. This also included the Pacers trading for Siakam. In the re-evaluation, Hughes gave the Pacers a B+ and the Raptors an A-.

Hughes says that while Siakam was good in Indiana, the Raptors did better because they were going to lose him in free agency anyway, and acquired Ja’Kobe Walter with one of the draft picks in that deal.

“Siakam made no sense in the Raptors’ longer-term plans, and moving him before last year’s deadline eliminated the possibility of losing the two-time All-NBA selection for nothing in free agency,” Hughes wrote.

“One of the first players Toronto got in 2024 was Ja’Kobe Walter, who showed some potential as a rookie, while the other landed with the Utah Jazz in the deal that brought Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji to the Raptors . The latter did it.” was one of the players who improved the most this season.

In his rookie season, Walter has already started seven games for the team. He averages 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on the year. Although his stats are nothing to write home about, the 20-year-old is starting to grow in his role and has great potential.

While this alone isn’t enough to say the Raptors won this trade, it’s fair to give them bonus points since they would be losing Siakam anyway. It’s always better to get at least some value than to lose a franchise player for nothing, as Hughes mentions.

Additionally, the Raptors received Bruce Brown Jr. in return, but are expected to move on from him at some point this season. For Pacers fans, it might be worth keeping an eye on what they get in return for him.

There’s no way the Pacers should regret this trade. Siakam performed great upon joining the team and is now under contract for the foreseeable future. However, the notion that they decisively won the trade has disappeared and much of the momentum has shifted to Toronto’s side.