SUMMARY
- The Toronto Raptors are facing the task of potentially trading Pascal Siakam before the trade deadline.
- Pascal Siakam, seeking a max contract, reportedly does not view the Sacramento Kings as a "long-term fit."
The Toronto Raptors are seeded at No. 12 in the Western Conference and are riding on a two-game losing streak. With the trade deadline approaching, the team has to deal with one more task at hand. And that task is to trade off Pascal Siakam before the deadline hits. However, given his opinion on re-signing with the same team, each team is backing off.
The forward for the Raptors is eyeing a max contract, whether he gets traded or not. However, as per Sam Amick of The Athletic, Siakam doesn’t see the Sacramento Kings as a “long-term fit.” The 29-year-old will grow one year older when he hits free agency in July, and he seems adamant about not signing with the Kings again. As per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the trade talks were about to reach a ‘seal-the-deal’ point before the Kings took a step back.
Pascal Siakam is seeking a full term max contract and doesn’t view Sacramento as a good long term fit, per @sam_amick
“Siakam is seeking a full-term, max-salary deal no matter where he ultimately lands. And while Siakam has not asked for a trade, the sources say he doesn’t view… pic.twitter.com/yx6grfVc81
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 10, 2024
Two potential reasons might have halted the negotiations. The foremost is that Siakam is adamant about not resigning with the same team, and the second is that most franchises won’t deem Siakam the right fit for a max contract. It’s a fact that Pascal’s floor spacing and passing at the 4 are an add-on to his spectacular gameplay; paying $50 million or more per season might not seem like an enticing proposition.
Since not many teams in the league can offer a projected max cap, the Raptors might have to hold on to Pascal past the deadline. Since the market seems underwhelming, as per Sam Amick, the Raptors might have to offer Siakam an extension. Apart from the Kings, there might be one more team that can exit the list of contenders.
Raptors’ deal with Pacers’ for Pascal Siakam possibly off the cards now
The Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, and Indiana Pacers seem to be the only franchises on the contender list right now. While the Warriors are adamant about not offering Jonathan Kuminga in exchange, there seems to be a favorite player for the Pacers as well. As per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Pacers “are very, very determined to not include Jarace Walker” in the trade talks.
Woj dropped this insight while answering a question from a fan on Threads. While Sam Amick considers the Pacers to be the leaders on the contender list regarding Siakam’s trade talks, Woj’s answer might beg to differ. Woj claimed that Indiana is ‘very high’ on the 2023 No. 8 overall pick while replying to a fan.
Although the Pacers’ rookie hasn’t dropped in great numbers in his 12 appearances in the league, his performance in the G-league is stellar. The 6’7 forward has been dropping 26.8 points per contest in four games. It’s a fact that the Pacers won’t sacrifice their future star prospect for a player who might wind up only being a half-season rental. Hence, the market seems quite underwhelming for the two-time NBA All-Star and the star forward of the Toronto Raptors.