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After losing star point guard Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets in free agency, the Toronto Raptors may be forced to pivot into a rebuild. If they do so, star forward Pascal Siakam could be the biggest name shipped out of town.
Multiple teams have unsuccessfully attempted to trade for Siakam in recent months. However, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Siakam’s name is once again gaining traction on the NBA trade rumor mill. Grange named the Atlanta Hawks as one team who is still interested in the star forward:
“An interesting player to monitor as the NBA transaction market heats up is the Raptors' Pascal Siakam. Keep hearing his name out there, per multiple sources. Atlanta is still interested. Something to watch,” Grange reported.
The Raptors failed to reach the playoffs this past season (41-41, ninth in the Eastern Conference). However, Siakam still produced at an All-Star level. The star forward averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.3 3-pointers per game on 48.0% shooting over 71 games.
He is set to make $37.9 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024. So, any team that trades for Siakam would likely need some assurance from him that he would be interested in signing a contract extension.
Pascal Siakam wants to play his entire career in Toronto
Opposing teams may be continuing to pursue Pascal Siakam, however, at this point, it appears as though he wants to remain in Toronto long-term. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported last month that Siakam has no plans to re-sign with any team that trades for him:
“There’s growing sentiment Toronto star Pascal Siakam — who’s on an expiring deal — would not re-sign with a team who attempts to trade for him as his preference is to remain with the Raptors,” Haynes reported.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith added that a source close to Siakam said that he wants to play his entire career in Toronto:
“Here is a 29-year-old with impeccable credentials — two all-star game appearances, an all-NBA team berth, a most-improved player award — who, according to sources close to him, would like nothing better than to finish his career here as the longest-serving Raptors player,” Smith wrote.
“Whether or not there was a truly legitimate trade offer surrounding Siakam before the draft — Atlanta kicked the tires, Portland was rumored to have some interest — it didn’t matter. Siakam wants to be here and it’s hard to see that being a bad thing.”
It’s worth noting that both reports came before Fred VanVleet’s free agency departure. So, it’s unclear if that will impact Siakam’s decision regarding his future. But for now, it looks like Siakam would like to run it back with Toronto and try and help the team get back into playoff contention.
