The Indiana Pacers and power forward Pascal Siakam are close to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. 
Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported that the Pacers intended to offer a max contract to Siakam. Bringing him back is Indiana’s “highest priority,” Charania added on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.
“They understand it’s a maximum level contract commitment you’re going to have with Pascal Siakam,” Charania said. “That’s what they’re preparing to offer him this summer. He wants to be there. There’s mutual interest in getting a deal done.”
Siakam will become an unrestricted free agent barring an extension.
“It does however follow that the Pacers would only have made the move for Siakam were they willing to re-sign him for a high price point, and in all likelihood, the max,” wrote Mark Deeks of HoopsHype. “The Raptors did not think that was worth the price of business; Indiana, clearly, does. And were they not confident they could re-sign him, the deal would not have been made either.”
Siakam also became the leader that the Pacers had hoped for when they acquired him from the Toronto Raptors in a January trade.
“It’s different because I’m usually not a talkative person,” Siakam said, via Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “And it’s something that, maybe in the past, in different situations it was always, ‘We hope you talk a little bit more.’ But I thought I was challenged a little bit with this group to just continue to talk, and it feels better when you feel like your voice is received well, and the guys, once you talk, they’re looking and they’re hearing you and it feels like they want to get any information you have. Especially for a person like me. That’s not really what I do.”
Agness wrote: “Both sides know how each other feels and want the partnership to continue.”
Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks in 41 games with Indiana while shooting 54.9% from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc and 69.9% from the free-throw line.
A two-time All-Star, Siakam has career averages of 17.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks with the Raptors and Pacers.
The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
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