Interpreting the Siakam trade: The two guns are still expected to upgrade the Big Three The Pacers also need to beware of Philadelphia grabbing

In the early morning of January 18, Beijing time, the Pacers, Pelicans and Raptors reached a three-way trade agreement, the details are as follows:

The Pacers get Siakam and a future second-round pick

The Pelicans swapped air, saving $18 million in luxury taxes and bringing gross wages below the luxury tax line

The Raptors get Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis, Nora, two 2024 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick

The Raptors achieved their goal of hoarding first-round picks through this deal, and completely entered rebuilding mode, not to mention. The Pelicans' core rotation lineup was unaffected, achieving the goal of reducing spending, and not mentioning.

The most noteworthy thing about this deal is how much the Pacers have improved and whether they can keep Siakam in the offseason.

Haliburton has a strong helper

From a combat power perspective, the Pacers' exchange for Siakam is a brilliant stroke. Siakam's height and offensive ability with the ball are above Brown, and his addition has greatly improved the size and offensive and defensive strength of the Pacers' front.

The Pacers have played the league's No. 1 offensive efficiency this season, but they rely heavily on Haliburton. Haliburton is on the floor, and the Pacers' offensive efficiency is among the best in the league. When Haliburton wasn't on the floor, the Pacers' offensive efficiency barely exceeded the league average.

Haliburton was a ball-handler 70 percent of the time he was on the floor, and with Siakam, the Pacers had one more point of possession and could take the load off Haliburton. When Haliburton is absent or out of the game, Siakam can play as an offensive initiator by attacking low post and blocking with the ball. In the Pacers' all-space lineup, Siakam's performance is worth looking forward to.

Siakam's three-point shooting is just 32 percent, which is very inconsistent, and his career three-point shooting is just 33 percent. But the Pacers have excellent shooting coaches with excellent resumes, and they have developed Myles Turner into a spatial five, and Toppin and Jalen Smith have not shot more than 35% three-point shooting in their careers, but they have both shot more than 40% three-point shooting this season. For the Pacers, Siakam's projection is expected to improve.

Defense is a weakness for the Pacers, and Siakam has arrived to partner Turner, and if the Pacers can continue to strengthen their wing defense, the Pacers' defense will be expected to improve even further.

Even with three first-round picks in this deal, the Pacers still have a lot of first-round picks. Prior to this deal, the Pacers had eight first-round picks and 10 second-round picks available for trade over the next seven years. If the Pacers are going to win now, they can continue to make trades, or wait the offseason to see if any big fish enter the market and upgrade the duo to the Big Three.

What is the new twin gun in the league?

How does the combination of Haliburton and Siakam rank among the duos in the league?

The combined EPM value of the two is 8.5, which is not as good as Embiid + Maxey, Antetokounmpo + Lillard, Alexander + Holmgren, Jokic + Murray, James Mei combination, Doncic + Irving, Leonard + George, the same as Durant + Booker, but more than Fox + Sabonis Jr.

This data is very objective, Haliburton and Siakam are considered the top 10 duo in the league, but they are basically ranked 8th to 10th. But if Siakam can put up a better performance than he did with the Raptors this season, the two can move up the rankings slightly.

It is also necessary to beware of the 76ers robbing people

Judging from the current information, Siakam is willing to renew his contract with the Pacers, and in this deal, his birdie rights also come to the Pacers, and the Pacers can offer up to a five-year, $247 million contract extension.

The Pacers must have taken a risk by swapping players for a contract year in the middle of the game, the same as the Mavericks traded for Irving. Irving opted to renew his contract in the offseason, but he once admitted that he did so because there was no team on the market that could offer him a big contract, such as the Lakers.

But Siakam is different, and if he leaves the Pacers to sign with another team with salary space, he will definitely have to accept a significant reduction in salary, and he can only sign a four-year max contract. If the Pacers refuse to come up with a max-salary contract, Siakam could test the waters of free agency. The potential underdogs are the 76ers, who have $40.9 million in headroom and have every chance of signing Siakam with a maximum salary.

Siakam and Embiid are Cameroonian fellows, and the two have a good personal relationship. With Tobias Harris' contract expiring, the 76ers are also in need of a power forward, and they are ready to use salary space to bring in a Big Three this summer.

However, the 76ers snatching Siakam is only a theoretical possibility, and judging from the current situation, Siakam is more likely to re-sign the Pacers. After all, who wants to lose more than $50 million?