Raptors waive Christian Koloko and trade Pascal Siakam to the Pacers
According to a press statement from Indiana, the Raptors have dealt star forward Pascal Siakam to the Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis, two 2024 first-round picks, and a top-four protected 2026 first-round pick.
“Pascal is a welcome addition to Indiana University,” stated Kevin Pritchard, president of basketball operations. “Our organization has always regarded and revered Pascal, a player who was selected to the All-NBA team twice and an NBA All Star twice. We believe that his special attacking skill set will fit in well with our playing philosophy and that his defensive adaptability will be a great asset to the squad.
In a press statement of their own, the Raptors also declared the deal to be final.
According to Raptors vice chairman and president MASAI UJIRI, “Pascal is a champion, an essential component of winning teams, and an example of what can be achieved with dedication, perseverance, hard work, and tenacity.” “We consider ourselves fortunate to have witnessed Pascal grow into the man and player he has become, and we are appreciative of all he has done for our community and our team. We hope the best for him.
“We are excited to have Bruce, Jordan, and Kira join the Raptors and Toronto during this exciting moment of transition for our team. Bruce is a world champion, and we anticipate his extra toughness and two-way play on the court. We keep pushing forward in our pursuit of victory here in Toronto and keep working to improve every day.
In order to finalize the transaction, the Raptors had to release a player, and that player happened to be second-year center Christian Koloko, who hasn’t played yet this season because of a respiratory condition. If Koloko avoids waivers, Toronto will be responsible for paying his entire $1,719,864 salary for 2023–2024. He was not promised a salary for the upcoming season.
In 58 games, including 19 starts (13.8 MPG), Koloko averaged 3.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.0 BPG as a rookie last season, demonstrating promise as a rim protector.
The Raptors are still “very high” on Koloko, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), but he was the odd man out because there is no timetable for his return to action. Murphy wouldn’t be shocked if Toronto later re-signs Koloko to an NBA contract or signs him to a G League contract.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reiterates that last point, estimating that Koloko has “a good chance” of staying with the Raptors in some form (Twitter link). Grange has also heard that Koloko has been more active recently, but it’s unclear when the well-known Cameroonian Man will be allowed to return to play.
All four of the players in the transaction can be transferred again before the deadline of February 8th, but their salaries cannot be combined with other players’ salary, as tweeted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks. According to Marks (Twitter link), the Raptors also included a $10.2MM traded player exception in the agreement.
The Pacers have 13 players on regular deals, whereas the Raptors have a full roster of fifteen players. Indiana will have two weeks to acquire a 14th player again because teams are not allowed to carry less than 14 players on regular contracts for longer than 14 days at a time.
