Woj: Pacers 'Very Determined' to Not Trade Jarace Walker amid Pascal Siakam Rumors

The Indiana Pacers "are very, very determined to NOT include Jarace Walker" in a trade for Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam in the view of ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In a Q&A session on Threads, Wojnarowski responded to a fan who wondered whether Walker would be part of the outgoing package in return for the two-time All-Star. He said Indiana is "very high" on the 2023 No. 8 overall pick.

Walker has registered a minimal impact so far as a rookie. In 12 appearances, he has averaged 3.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists, bouncing around between the Pacers and their NBA G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants.

The 6'7" forward has been a much different player in the G League, putting up 26.8 points per contest in four games.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Wednesday the Pacers are viewed by some around the NBA as "the leaders in this pack" when it comes to a Siakam trade. Wojnarowski's report would seemingly throw some doubt on that idea, though.

If the team is reticent to offer Walker, then it stands to reason the same is true for Bennedict Mathurin, who's averaging 14.7 points and shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc in his second season.

Or perhaps this is a situation where the front office is resigned to losing Mathurin in order to land Siakam and doesn't want to see another promising young frontcourt player go out the door as well.

But you'd presumably lean toward the former scenario considering Siakam is an impending free agent. The Pacers can't afford to mortgage their future for a player who may wind up only being a half-season rental, especially since Tyrese Haliburton's hamstring injury. means this may not be the year to push all in.

Holding onto Walker, Mathurin and its best trade assets past the Feb. 8 deadline is the smart call unless another star with multiple years of team control enters the market in the next month.