Is Pascal Siakam On the Move?
Pascal Siakam has been one of the most talked about players of the Summer League period despite not having stepped on a court. The “will they, won’t they” dilemma facing the Raptors front office is a situation more than a few NBA franchises are keeping tabs on at the moment.
With Toronto caught between a full scale rebuild, and wanting to remain competitive in the wide open Eastern Conference, Pascal’s days in The Six could be numbered.
Siakam’s Future in Toronto Up in the Air
Siakam signed a four-year $136.9M deal with the Toronto Raptors in 2020 and is now entering the final season of that pact. He’ll earn $37.8M this year before hitting free agency. While other teams believe Siakam could remain in Toronto beyond 2024, the fact that there’s been no progress on an extension leads many to wonder whether or not the New Mexico State product will indeed be a Raptor in the long run.
Last season, the 29-year-old averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, on 48% field goal shooting. However, the Raptors missed the playoffs once again after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament.
That exit led to the dismissal of former Head Coach Nick Nurse, who guided the Raptors to a franchise-first NBA championship in 2019. The Raptors have since hired Serbian Darko Rajakovic to replace Nurse at the helm.
Toronto have largely remained quiet in the 2023 offseason- with Dennis Schroder as the only major acquisition via free agency thus far. The Raptors have also signed Jalen McDaniels and Markquis Nowell, and then re-signed Jakob Poetl.
But with the loss of Fred VanVleet to free agency, one has to wonder whether the Raptors are any further along on paper than they were at season’s end last year. With minimal roster movement from the Raptors front office and the departure of VanVleet, observers can’t help but believe that the Raptors are seriously considering hitting the reset button.
And there’s no player on their roster who would fetch a larger return via trade than Pascal Siakam.
Potential Destinations for Siakam
If the Raptors are set on rebuilding the team from scratch, trading Siakam would be at the top of their to do list. Looking around the league for potential suitors, there’s the Portland Trail Blazers who need a third team if they’re going to send Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat.
In this scenario, the Raptors would likely send Siakam to Portland, and in return, the Blazers and the Heat would send draft picks and possibly Tyler Herro up north. This is why many believe the Lillard trade could take months to complete as it will require three teams or more to push through.
The Atlanta Hawks have also been mentioned as a team in pursuit of the NBA veteran from Cameroon. As are the Indiana Pacers. In fact, sources claim the Pacers are also interested in Siakam’s teammate, OG Anunoby should Toronto decide to truly tear things down this year.
Regardless, acquiring Pascal Siakam will require giving up multiple assets. And while there’s always the possibility of Siakam signing a contract extension in Toronto, sometimes an offer comes along that makes too much basketball sense to turn down.
Pascal has made it known that his preference is to remain with the Raptors. But with the team stuck in limbo (not bad enough to bottom out, not good enough to make a deep playoff run), could a gentleman’s agreement be struck for him to play somewhere else in 2023-24 and then return via free agency?
It’s a scenario that’s likely been discussed internally by the Raptors at this point. However, without an extension in place, one would have to assume that the returns on a potential Siakam focused deal would be lessened. That’s why if the versatile forward is indeed moved, it will likely be as a multi-team deal, rather than a straight one for one swap.
Looking at recent returns for players such as Rudy Gobert, Kyrie Irving, or Kevin Durant, Masai Ujiri will have to weigh the pros and cons of standing pat with his current roster, or blowing things up and kickstarting a rebuild in earnest this year.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.