Sports Poets Society

MARC LEBRYK/USA TODAY SPORTS - Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations  Kevin Pritchard speaks during a press conference to announce the contract extension of  center Myles Turner at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse on Jan. 30, 2023. Recovered ’26 pick sent to Toronto for Siakam 19 Jun 2025 - The Indianapolis Star Dustin Dopirak Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK  For the second straight season, the Indiana Pacers will not have a pick in the first round in the NBA draft. The Pacers traded this year’s firstround pick, the No. 23 selection in the draft, and the draft rights to guard Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans to recover the 2026 first-round pick they originally sent to the Raptors in the trade for Pascal Siakam, league sources confirmed to IndyStar. ESPN’s Shams Charania originally reported the trade. The Pacers still have a pick in the second round at No. 54. The deal would seem to avoid further tightening a roster crunch that has made it difficult for the Pa...

9 Jun 2025 - The Indianapolis Star Zach Osterman Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK OKLAHOMA CITY – Outside of a handful of interactions in summer workouts, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton didn’t know Pascal Siakam very well, when he learned Indiana might trade for the Toronto All-Star a year ago January. Haliburton and Siakam had exchanged pleasantries at Rico Runs — the well-known UCLA-based summer pickup games organized by longtime NBA assistant Rico Hines — but otherwise the pair hadn’t often crossed paths. Now, with his front office considering a move to pair him with Siakam, Indiana’s emerging franchise face thought it would be a good idea for the two to connect. Stepping out of a dinner during the team’s mid-January swing through Atlanta last season, Haliburton talked with Siakam for roughly an hour. That phone call provided the building blocks of a relationship that’s anchored the Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals 17 months later. “I wanted to have a conversation, ‘Hey, is th...