NBA Podcast: Where the Siakam trade leaves the Pacers and Raptors

Welcome to the latest edition of "Pound the Rock," an NBA podcast hosted by Joseph Casciaro and Joe Wolfond.

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On this episode we break down the Pascal Siakam trade and what it means for the Pacers and Raptors, including:

• The low acquisition cost and why "three first-round picks" sounds better than it actually is
• Why Siakam is such a great fit in Indiana
• What he can do for the Pacers, and what they can do for him
• This team needed more secondary creation behind Tyrese Haliburton
• Siakam's methodical mid-range game versus Indiana's quick-hitting rim-and-threes approach
• Siakam and Haliburton in transition
• Inverted ball-screen actions with Buddy Hield
• How much can Siakam actually help them on defense?
• Filling a power forward-sized hole in the starting lineup
• A better option for defending big forwards than they've had up to this point
• Can he still make an impact as a back-line helper and secondary rim-protector?
• Can he improve the team's lousy defensive rebounding?
• Why timeline concerns are overblown, and why it made sense for the Pacers to do this now
• How Toronto got here, and why this return feels underwhelming even in the context of Siakam being on an expiring deal
• The Raptors did well under the circumstances, but they created those circumstances
• Should they have extended Siakam instead?
• Should they keep Bruce Brown or flip him?
• Why tanking probably isn't in the cards
• At least they finally picked a direction and can move forward with clarity