All-star point guard Fred VanVleet is officially a Houston Rocket after signing a three-year, $130 million contract. As a result, the Toronto Raptors front office has a big decision regarding what to do with their remaining All-Star, Pascal Siakam.
This article delves into whether or not the Raptors should trade away Siakam for younger assets to fully embrace a retooling of their roster.
Should the Toronto Raptors Trade Pascal Siakam?
Why Toronto Should Trade Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam is still in his prime at age 29. However, he doesn’t fit Toronto’s timeline anymore following the departure of VanVleet. Last season, the Raptors finished with a 41-41 record. They ultimately failed to make the playoffs after losing their play-in game to the Chicago Bulls.
Leading up to last season’s trade deadline, the Raptors were among the most discussed teams in the NBA. The trade rumors typically involved either O.G. Anunoby or Pascal Siakam. The Anunoby, Siakam, and Scottie Barnes trio is a talented yet questionable fit. They have overlapping skill sets and play styles as players that like to attack the paint of the dribble, especially Siakam and Barnes.
Anunoby (25) is four years younger than Siakam (29) and fits Barnes’ play style better. As a result, Siakam should be the odd man out of this talented Raptors trio.
Trade rumors swirled due to the Raptors’ disappointing season leading up to the trade deadline. Instead of trading away Anunoby, VanVleet, or Siakam, the Raptors took a moderate half-in approach. They ended up trading with the Spurs for center Jakob Poeltl. Not only did the Raptors fail to make the playoffs following the Poeltl addition, but they also lost their 2024 first-round pick.
They should have retooled the roster last season. But now that VanVleet is gone, it’s even more apparent that retooling should be the Raptors’ direction.
Another interesting development is that veterans VanVleet and Siakam were reportedly “deeply frustrated” with the Raptors’ younger players. Toronto should undoubtedly address why they were upset with their younger core. But it’s also best to move on from Siakam and embrace the youth movement.
Potential Trades
Any team that trades for Pascal Siakam would be making a short-term gamble on themselves. Siakam will be an unrestricted free agent next season. As a result, the suitors for Siakam would likely be teams in a win-now mode that are searching for a player of Siakam’s caliber to make them a legitimate contender.
To make them ideal trade partners for Toronto, teams need some combination of draft picks or younger prospects to fit the Raptors’ timeline. Some teams that fit this criteria include the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Because of Siakam’s expiring contract, the possible trade packages returning to Toronto likely wouldn’t be a massive haul. However, some players that seem likely to acquire that would help the Raptors include Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Dallas’ first-round picks Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, or Clippers’ Terance Mann.
Herro and Mann are both career 38% shooters from three and would add much-needed floor spacing for Scottie Barnes to make plays. Meanwhile, the other possible trade assets mentioned would help bolster Toronto’s team identity of a defensive-minded, lengthy, and switchable team.
Some picks may have to be included to obtain an all-star level player of Siakam’s caliber, even if he is a risky short-term rental. Nonetheless, from Toronto’s standpoint, it’s time to move on from Pascal Siakam and jumpstart the retooling.
