Pascal Siakam trade: Pacers see East, NBA title odds improve after trading for Raptors forward

The Indiana Pacers have seen a nice boost in their championship and Eastern Conference odds after trading for Toronto Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam Wednesday afternoon. The Pacers were previously +12000 to the win the NBA title according to DraftKings Sportsbook and +5000 to win the East. Those numbers are now +7000 and +2500 respectively, showing the impact Siakam can have for Indiana.

The Pacers have a back-to-back set Thursday and Friday, so we’ll see when Siakam can actually be in action for his new team. Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is still sidelined with a hamstring injury but is expected to be back soon. The Haliburton-Siakam combination could continue to elevate Indiana’s already stellar offense, which gives Pacers fans a reason to be optimistic.

As far as the odds table goes, Indiana is still behind the Celtics, Bucks, 76ers, Heat and Knicks in the East hierarchy. That seems right, largely because the Pacers don’t have nearly the amount of playoff experience as those teams. Siakam’s addition does change that, and Indiana has already beaten those teams in the regular season. That’ll give the Pacers some confidence they can make noise in a playoff series, which is ultimately what the Siakam deal is all about.