Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) is listed as questionable ahead of Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings. This is surprising news given that Haliburton had a timetable of at least two weeks and that was 10 days ago. It sounds like Haliburton is making great progress and is on the verge of being cleared to play. It's worth noting that Thursday's game is the front end of a back-to-back set, which means Haliburton will probably at least miss one game. He'll likely be under a minutes limit, assuming he's cleared to play, but fantasy managers will have to check back for another update on Thursday.

The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a three-team trade to acquire Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks (two 2024 first-rounders and a 2026 first-rounder). The New Orleans Pelicans are sending Kira Lewis to Toronto and a second-rounder to Indiana. It's the first major domino to fall ahead of February's trade deadline, with the Pacers making a splashy move to thrust themselves firmly into the mix of Eastern Conference contenders. Upon the return of rising superstar Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Siakam will help form one of the NBA's most formidable duos. A two-time All-Star, Siakam is averaging 22.3 points on 52.2% field-goal shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 three-pointers in 34.7 minutes across 39 games in 2023-24 and should benefit from a fantasy perspective moving from a middling Raptors offense to a high-powered one in Indy.

Indiana Pacers guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin sprained his left ankle against Utah on Monday and didn't finish the game. It was an awful ending to Mathurin's first start since Nov. 19. He had 11 points in the contest with 5-for-10 shooting. Mathurin has averaged the fifth-most minutes among Pacers players this season and is sitting third in scoring, so his absence will definitely be felt if the 21-year-old can't play in Thursday's matchup against the Kings.

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (back) is officially active for Friday's meeting with Utah. The veteran didn't suit up for Wednesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers because of back spasms, opening the door for Dennis Schroder to enter the starting lineup and finish with 22 points. Schroder will presumably head back to the bench. However, he should see enough action to remain relevant for fantasy managers, considering Jakob Poeltl (ankle) won't be available for a few weeks. Of course, Siakam remains a must-start in any fantasy league imaginable.

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (back) is probable ahead of Friday's game against Utah. Siakam had 25 points on Tuesday versus the Lakers. However, he sat out the following night's meeting with the Clippers because of back spasms, allowing Dennis Schroder to enter the starting lineup and finish with 22 points. Although Schroder will head back to the bench, assuming Siakam officially gets the green light, he should get enough minutes to remain relevant in most fantasy setups, especially with Jakob Poeltl (ankle) sidelined for a few weeks.