Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
After surviving last year’s trade deadline unscathed, Raptors All-Star Pascal Siakam enters another period of uncertainty with regards to his future in Toronto.
According to Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg, the Raptors are keeping their options up, from trading Siakam to offering him an extension:
The belief is that they are listening to offers for Siakam, and will continue to listen ahead of the deadline, but at least to this point, none of those talks have gained much traction. “Nothing is close,” said a source, which is why the possibility of an extension is very much in play. If the Raptors can’t find an offer that meets their asking price, which has been and remains steep, they’re not going to trade Siakam just to trade him, nor should they. But they also can’t risk losing another key piece – and the last remaining player from their championship core – for nothing in free agency this summer.
Siakam is on the final year of his contract, which pays him $37.9 million this season.
According to Charania, the Kings and Raptors held some deep talks about a potential Siakam trade this week before Sacramento pulled out of the trade talks:
The Sacramento Kings are deciding to pull out of the Pascal Siakam talks, sources say. Things can be fluid, but Kings-Raptors talks are now over. https://t.co/oQtwcbKtjF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2024
Another team in the West, the Golden State Warriors, were mentioned as being a potential dark horse for Siakam:
The Golden State Warriors are a team to watch for Pascal Siakam 👀
“There’s a wild horse team out there that I’ve been told to look out for by rival executives…The Golden State Warriors… I do think ultimately, this will be the trade deadline where Pascal is eventually moved… pic.twitter.com/axOKpOVupc
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) January 5, 2024
Meanwhile, Fischer mentioned the Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons as being other potential Siakam suitors:
Atlanta was once considered the most aggressive suitor for Siakam’s services, holding serious conversations with Toronto last offseason, sources said. But the chatter among NBA executives surrounding Pascal Siakam’s potential landing spots has now centered on Indiana, Sacramento and Detroit. Yes, the Pistons keep signaling to opposing executives an interest in buying, sources said, instead of selling off veterans from the league’s lowest team. Other teams mentioned, such as Dallas and Philadelphia, don’t appear as viable destinations at this juncture, although Toronto officials have suggested to inquiring front offices as many as 10 teams hold legitimate interest in Siakam, sources said
After the Anunoby trade, it was clear the Raptors were opening the door to a potential quick rebuild around Scottie Barnes. Siakam, at almost 30 years old and set to be owed a lot of money on his next contract, doesn’t fit that timeline.
So will the Raptors potentially lower their asking price for their All-Star wing? Or will they re-sign or extend him to not lose him for nothing this offseason?
Toronto’s front office has a fascinating month up ahead.
For all of the latest Pascal Siakam trade rumors, click here.
