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The Indiana Pacers wouldn’t have traded for Pascal Siakam in January if they didn’t intend to re-sign him. The 30-year-old forward will be an unrestricted free agent on June 30, though, and, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Tuesday that they “can’t take for granted that a player like Pascal is going to automatically just want to be back.”
In some ways, Indiana has been trying to show Siakam that it’s the place for him since the day he arrived. The morning after the Pacers’ season ended, though, Carlisle said that “the first very important step” of the offseason is “to begin recruiting Pascal Siakam in earnest.” He is eligible to re-sign for up to five years and $245 million, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the team is preparing to offer him a maximum contract.
“You trade for a guy, he has a good experience, but you gotta let him know how important he is,” Carlisle said. “We’ve been doing it all along, really, but today is more of a ‘Hey, you’re our guy.'”
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s franchise player, did some public recruiting, too.
“Obviously, it’s a big deal to bring Pascal back,” Haliburton told reporters. “Just a great addition to our team, and an amazing, amazing player. He knows I’ll be texting him nonstop, calling him nonstop. We all would love to have Pascal back, and that’s definitely the plan. I can’t speak for the man, by any means, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Pascal Siakam is in a Pacer uniform next year. And I’m excited to begin that recruiting process, I guess, but just to have him as my teammate for the foreseeable future. Hopefully for the rest of his career.”
Siakam, who has two All-NBA appearances and two All-Star appearances on his résumé, averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 41 regular-season games for the Pacers. He opened the playoffs with 36- and 37-point games against the Milwaukee Bucks, and his midrange shooting went a long way toward keeping Indiana competitive against the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
“This is Year 2 of…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/tyrese-haliburton-says-hell-do-everything-in-my-power-to-make-sure-pascal-siakam-re-signs-with-pacers/
Author : James Herbert
Publish date : 2024-05-28 19:28:22
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