We continue to learn more about the Sacramento Kings’ abandoned pursuit of Pascal Siakam. The Kings were being reported as the front-runners to land Siakam, only to then leak that they had withdrawn from negotiations. Initial reports in local media indicated that Toronto’s asking price was too high, and that the Raptors had wanted Malik Monk as part of the deal. Now additional reporting adds another hurdle: that Siakam did not want to come to Sacramento. ESPN 1320’s Damien Barling was the first to report this, and it has now been confirmed in detail by The Athletic’s Sam Amick. From Amick:
To put it in proper pro sports parlance, it would be a rental. According to two league sources, the Kings should have very little — if any — optimism regarding the prospect of Siakam re-signing in the summer if they were to land him.
Now, I know the natural reaction from Kings fans is to point out all the times a player didn’t want to come to Sacramento, but then fell in love with the city and the fans and stuck around. Chris Webber is the biggest and most obvious comparison. However, Webber arrived with time still on his contract. Siakam is an unrestricted free agent this summer. It’s a very short period of time to win over a player. What if the team doesn’t immediately gel? It’s a huge risk for the Kings to take.
Personally, I would still be willing to trade for Siakam, but given the risk involved the Kings aren’t going to offer up any marquee players as part of the package, nor should they. Toronto may find a better offer, or could decide to extend Siakam and revisit trading him at a later time. Due to CBA rules, Toronto can still extend Siakam, but the Kings would be unable to offer an extension. But the Kings are likely to hold firm on whatever they are willing to offer, and can live with it should Toronto do something else.
