NBA Trade Rumors: A leader in the pursuit of Pascal Siakam has emerged

NBA Trade Rumors: The Indiana Pacers are considered to be the "leaders" in the early pursuit of Pascal Siakam.

The 2024 NBA Trade Deadline is shaping up to be quite an interesting one. With names such as Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, DeMar DeRozan, and Malcolm Brogdon all possibly on the move, the last few weeks ahead of the trade deadline could provide some of the most exciting moments of the NBA season thus far.

At least for now, Siakam appears to be the player that could end up headling the trade deadline. With OG Anunoby already being traded to the New York Knicks, Siakam appears to be the next Toronto Raptor on the move as they make the official pivot toward a retooling around Scottie Barnes.

As you would expect, there are several teams interested in Siakam. Where it gets tricky is when you consider that Siakam has quite a bit of power over where he's going to get traded. In the final year of his contract, he could dictate his landing spot by giving teams an indication (through backchanneling) if he'd sign a long-term extension with them or not during the offseason. We recently saw this in real time when he likely informed the Sacramento Kings he wouldn't sign a long-term extension with them. The result was the Kings pulling out of the Siakam sweepstakes entirely.

Even though the Kings are out on Siakam, there's still expected to be a strong market for the All-Star forward. Less than a month away from the trade deadline, there may already be a favorite for Siakam.

According to a report from The Athletic's Sam Amick, the Pacers are considered the "leaders" to acquire Siakam.

Pascal Siakam on the Indiana Pacers is a near-perfect match

While Siakam was always going to be an odd fit in Sacramento with Domantas Sabonis in the frontcourt, I believe the Pacers' fit is a much better one in theory. Siakam should be able to coexist with Myles Turner in the lineup and he'd be a great addition next to Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of the team's young core.

The Pacers have a huge hole at the power forward position in their starting 5 and Siakam would fill it perfectly. Siakam may not have worked as a No. 1 with the Raptors but won a ring with the team as a No. 2 or 3 option. That's exactly the type of role he'd play with the Pacers.

The big question is whether or not Siakam would sign a long-term extension to play in Indiana. In theory, the answer should be yes. The Pacers are one of the most talented young, emerging teams in the Eastern Conference and they have the salary cap room to pay Siakam what he wants.

With that being said, it's no wonder why the Pacers are considered to be the favorites to land Siakam via trade. The question is, will it all come together before the trade deadline?