Woj Wakes Up Pacers’ Fans
Adrian Wojnarowski announced his retirement on Sept. 18, marking the end of an era. To commemorate the sports media legend, All Pacers found a significant "Woj Bomb." Naturally, the trade for Pascal Siakam made for great drama and helped catapult the Indiana Pacers to the eventual Eastern Conference Finals runner-up.
On Jan. 17, Wojnarowski reported , "BREAKING: The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a trade to acquire All-Star F Pascal Siakam in a deal that will send Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors. New Orleans will be a third team in deal, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors."
Without Siakam, the Pacers were a decent team with a fun offense. However, upon trading for the Raptors star, the Rick Carlisle-coached team added a wrinkle of legitimacy.
Adding championship experience and a multi-time All-Star skill to the Pacers' roster gave Tyrese Haliburton a legitimate second option on a team starved for stardom. It's also likely the Pacers would have missed the playoffs as Haiburton suffered from hamstring issues in the latter half of the 2023-24 season.
Thankfully for the Pacers' fans, Siakam's presence allowed the team to stay afloat enough to secure the six-seed.
The Siakam "Woj Bomb" provided much-needed reassurance for the Pacers' fans and gave the NBA fans something to analyze in January.
Related: Pascal Siakam Receives Gift from DeRozanWojnarowski's impeccable work ethic beat other reporters to the punch, like a Pacers' fast break.
This story was originally published September 19, 2024, 5:45 PM.
