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Pacers acquiring All-Star Pascal Siakam for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and picks

The Pacers are finalizing a trade to acquire All-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam in a three-team trade, IndyStar has confirmed. ESPN and The Athletic first reported the deal. The Pacers will send guard Bruce Brown, forward Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Raptors. The New Orleans Pelicans will also be involved, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors and a second-round pick in 2024 to the Pacers.

Procedurally, the Pacers had to acquire Lewis on paper first before dealing him to Toronto. To do so, they had to clear a roster spot, and they waived veteran forward James Johnson, making that move official Wednesday evening. However the Pacers, who have indicated on multiple occasions how much they value his veteran presence, intend to re-sign him if he clears waivers, according to a league source.

The Pacers formally announced the trade in a press release late Wednesday night.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Pascal to Indiana,” President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said in the release. "As a two-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All Star, Pascal is a player that our organization has long admired and respected. We feel that his unique offensive skillset will complement our style of play, while his defensive versatility will be a valuable asset to our team.”

Siakam addresses major needs for the Pacers, who have been looking for another All-Star caliber player to pair with point guard Tyrese Haliburton as well as a two-way power forward who can defend bigger wings. Siakam fills both requirements. The two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA pick has averaged at least 21 points per game in each of his last four seasons and is averaging 22.2 points per game this season. He's also averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 assists per game this season.

Brown has been the Pacers starting shooting guard all year and is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Nwora averaged 13.0 points per game with the Pacers last season after he was acquired in February from the Bucks, but he has been limited this season behind forwards Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith.

The Pacers are reportedly sending both of their first-round picks in 2024 -- which are currently the 17th and 27th picks -- to the Raptors as well as a first-round pick in 2026. One of the picks is the Pacers' original pick and will be based on wherever they finish in the standings, so it could move down dramatically if they move up in the Eastern Conference. The second pick was acquired last season when the Pacers sent the No. 29 and No. 32 pick in the 2023 draft to the Nuggets for a pick they had acquired in a previous trade. The pick will be the least favorable of picks initially held by the Clippers, Jazz, Rockets and Thunder. All four teams are currently in playoff position. The Thunder are currently in second place in the Western Conference and the Clippers are just a game behind them in fourth.

The 2026 pick is top 4 protected according to The Athletic.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers acquiring Pascal Siakam for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, picks