INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers will reportedly sign forward Pascal Siakam to a new maximum contract.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, citing sources, reported that the deal will be for four years and $189.5 million. Siakam is expected to sign the max deal when the league’s free agency moratorium ends on July 6.
In January, the Pacers acquired Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in a deal that included multiple draft picks, Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora.
He was a key part of a Pacers team that made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Siakam started 41 games for Indiana after the Jan. 17 trade. He led the team in scoring (21.3 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 rebounds per game) while shooting nearly 55% from the field (38.6%% from three-point range).
The Pacers went 23-18 to close the regular season after acquiring Siakam.
He also led the team in scoring (21.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.5 rebounds per game) in the postseason, leading the sixth-seeded Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and the New York Knicks in the second.
He eclipsed 35 points twice in the Milwaukee series, scoring 36 points in Game 1 and 37 in Game 2.
Both the team and Siakam had indicated an interest in keeping the All-Star forward in Indiana once the Pacers’ playoff run ended.
