A rant about the Pascal Siakam deal: Not all first-round picks are the same
The Raptors' Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby trades underscore a sneaky pet peeve of mine.
The Indiana Pacers just traded for Pascal Siakam, giving up Bruce Brown Jr., Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Raptors. The Pelicans got involved, too. There are a lot of interesting angles in this trade – Siakam’s free agency, what it says about Haliburton’s health, where the Raptors go now, etc.
But today, I want to focus on this big NBA thing that I want you to understand:
Not all first-round picks are the same.
Earlier this month, the New York Knicks made headlines by acquiring O.G. Anunoby without giving up a first-round pick. The Knicks sent R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, a guy who, as I wrote earlier this week, has keyed the best plus-minus for any acquired player since 1996-97.
On Wednesday, the Indiana Pacers sent not one, not two, but three first-round picks in order to acquire Pascal Siakam in the deal.
The Pacers gave up three firsts and the Knicks gave up one second.
The Pacers gave up way too much and the Knicks got a steal, right?
Hold up.