NBA Trade Deadline Grades: New York Knicks steal deadline day; Lakers disappoint

Indiana Pacers

Trade deadline moves: Acquired Pascal Siakam, traded Buddy Hield

As the Indiana Pacers emerged as one of the bigger surprises in the NBA at the beginning of the season, the front office believed that this was the time to strike via trade. A few weeks before the official trade deadline, the Pacers made their move when they acquired All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.

From a pure talent perspective, adding Siakam is a great move for the Pacers. As Indiana begins to build around Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam seems like a natural fit. Even though it hasn't looked all that seamless thus far on the court, you'd have to trust that those two talents will be able to figure it out eventually.

Even though we may not see the full dividends from this move this season, this is the type of trade that ends up shaping the next 2-4 years for the franchise. Haliburton is just scratching the surface of the player he can be and the presence of Siakam on the roster is only going to help him as he continues to develop into a superstar.

The Buddy Hield trade knocks the Pacers' grade down a bit. It was a weak return. Though, I suppose getting something for him at the deadline was better than losing him for nothing in free agency.

Grade: B-