The Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves throughout the sports world when the storied franchise pulled off a league-altering trade for ex-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and it’s worked out well in the immediate aftermath of his arrival.
Los Angeles currently possesses the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record, and many believe the new-look group to be a true title contender while led by Dončić and future Hall of Fame inductee LeBron James.
On the other hand, their general manager Rob Pelinka could view his acquisition of the generational guard as just the first domino to fall in a series of major moves that will lead the Lakers to becoming outright title favorites for the 2025-26 season.
In fact, it’s plausible to consider that Pelinka’s efforts to bring in superstar talent to support both Dončić and James could continue this offseason in potential trade negotiations centered around the Indiana Pacers’ three-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
In a hypothetical offseason timeline where Pelinka wishes to inquire about the two-time All-NBA selection, a deal could reach the finish line if the Lakers were to offer Indiana substantial first-round draft capital, rising guard Austin Reaves and the contracts of Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Shake Milton.
While it could be viewed as an obvious overstep for a Lakers franchise still riding the high of landing Dončić, it’s not impossible for both franchises to talk themselves into a deal of this nature.
At 30 years old, the 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors and sensational power forward Siakam has put forth one of his most productive and efficient seasons in 2024-25, averaging 20.8 points and 7.2 rebounds on an impressive 60.9% true shooting percentage in 64 appearances for the Pacers.
It would surely be hard to move on from their most consistent scorer, but the Pacers’ front office could figure that if the team won’t rise higher than the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference throughout his tenure, it may be worth it to ship his $188 million contract away in favor of a brief re-tooling period.
As for Los Angeles, letting go of Reaves would also be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s difficult to believe that Pelinka would let the opportunity to land another proven, battle-tested star pass him by for what could be a premium price.
If paired with both James and Dončić as a prospective member of the Lakers for the 2025-26 season and beyond, Siakam would likely become a perfect tertiary option on a team slated to come out of the West unharmed.
Siakam’s reputation as an all-around scorer and a lethal attacker of the rim in transition could see him slot into head coach JJ Redick’s small-ball rotations with relative ease, as his system is predicated on trotting out as many agile, lengthy wings onto the floor as possible to support the team’s legendary duo.
With the hypothetical addition of Siakam, James’ title odds could be exponentially increased as he searches for his fifth championship victory to further elevate his all-time great career.
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