{"id":52394,"date":"2023-08-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=52394"},"modified":"2023-08-09T15:49:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T19:49:46","slug":"pascal-siakam-his-imminent-trade-and-landing-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/08\/09\/pascal-siakam-his-imminent-trade-and-landing-spots\/","title":{"rendered":"Pascal Siakam: His Imminent Trade and Landing Spots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Raptors star forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/siakapa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Pascal Siakam<\/strong><\/a> seems to be on his way out of Toronto any day now, with rumors that a trade of the two-time All-Star and NBA champion is \u201cinevitable\u201d, per Mark Medina. Why does Toronto suddenly feel the need to rebuild and where could they move Siakam to?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pascal Siakam: His Imminent Trade and Landing Spots<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udfc0 The Toronto Raptors crossroads with Pascal Siakam \u2013 plus the offer that\u2019s come closest for the two-time All-Star<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc0 Where things stand with Damian Lillard and James Harden<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udd95 Inside Pass at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheAthletic<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GlR01paqV2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/GlR01paqV2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1688937273843138560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Maximizing Value<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Last month, the Toronto Raptors watched All-Star guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vanvlfr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Fred VanVleet<\/strong><\/a> walk for nothing in return. VanVleet left for more money in Houston, cashing in on a new max contract. Less than five years removed from trading for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kawhi Leonard<\/strong><\/a>, winning a championship and watching him bolt for Los Angeles, the Raptors seem to be looking to learn from the past. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Siakam is on the final year of a four-year, $136 million contract. Due to make $37 million this year, Siakam has many futures on his horizon. Should he have made an All-NBA team last season, he would have been eligible for the designated veteran (supermax) extension the likes of Boston\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jaylen Brown<\/strong><\/a>. However, he didn\u2019t. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">That possibility still stands for this coming year. But it comes at risk for the Raptors. If Siakam qualifies for the supermax, they can offer him over $100 million more than any other team. But what if he doesn\u2019t? What if he has a similar season, can\u2019t cash in on the massive contract, and decides he\u2019d rather go elsewhere, take a little less money and compete for another title?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In this scenario, Toronto watches its third star in five years abandon them for <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">nothing. <\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A Pascal Siakam trade is viewed as \u2018inevitable,\u2019 per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkG_Medina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MarkG_Medina<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems inevitable the Toronto Raptors will deal Siakam. \u2026They expect a strong deal for return in the form of quality rotation players, expiring contracts and draft picks, all qualities that help accelerate a\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LelaqUxZ4C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/LelaqUxZ4C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1688907538039705600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Harsh Reality<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Toronto simply cannot afford to fall into this universe. So, what do they do? They move him either now or at some point before the February trade deadline. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">A Raptors rebuild in which next summer sees them lose Siakam, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anunoog01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>OG Anunoby<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/trentga02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Gary Trent Jr.<\/strong><\/a> followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barnesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Scottie Barnes<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bouchch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Chris Boucher<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s contracts expiring in 2025 could put the franchise in a dark place. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Flipping Siakam now for some combination of young pieces, expiring contracts and draft capital is a much better scenario. It gives them the flexibility to develop young players, acquire cap space and stockpile draft picks to expedite a rebuild. With that being said, here are some teams that could land Siakam.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Landing Spots<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Atlanta Hawks<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">According to Shams Charania, Atlanta has been the most aggressive buyer so far, offering <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/huntede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeAndre Hunter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/griffaj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AJ Griffin<\/a><\/strong> and draft picks to Toronto. The Raptors have declined this offer, upping the ante for what they want in return for their homegrown star. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">There\u2019s still a world where Atlanta bolsters their pitch, adding more draft picks or young, expiring deals like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Oknongwu<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a><\/strong> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/beysa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Saddiq Bey<\/strong><\/a>. The Hawks are looking for their third star, have just cleared cap space following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/collijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>John Collins<\/strong><\/a> trade and want to pair a forward with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Trae Young<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrade01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Dejounte Murray<\/strong><\/a>. Siakam is a great fit. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dallas Mavericks<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">A Mavericks trade for Siakam could be the most intriguing. They have a cluster of big forwards\/centers on expiring contracts that could benefit the Raptors should they move on for Siakam.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0Names like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/poweldw01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dwight Powell<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcgeeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Javale McGee<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holmeri01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Richaun Holmes<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/klebima01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Maxi Kleber<\/strong><\/a> could interest Toronto. There are also some guards in the mix like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenjo02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Green<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardati02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim Hardaway Jr<\/a>.<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardyja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jaden Hardy<\/strong><\/a> that may convince the Raptors. A lineup including <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Kyrie Irving<\/a><\/strong> and Siakam alongside many other talented pieces could make the Mavericks real contenders. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Oklahoma City Thunder<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For every disgruntled star\u2019s potential landing spots from now until 2035, I\u2019m going to put the Thunder. They have a slew of both young pieces and draft picks. They have so much<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/07\/23\/3-young-nba-teams-ready-to-make-a-jump-this-season\/\" target=\"_self\"> young talent<\/a>, they\u2019re going to have to cut a few names that could contribute elsewhere. Instead of doing that, package a few guys, throw in some of the draft picks being hoarded and get an experienced star to help grow the team. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Oklahoma City Thunder have 20 players currently on standard contracts<\/p>\n<p>By the beginning of the regular season, they will have to trim down the roster to 15 players<\/p>\n<p>This means 5 players will be cut or traded from this bunch<\/p>\n<p>Who do you think gets let go? \u2b07\ufe0f (comment 5 below) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tBrkO0x4EF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tBrkO0x4EF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Utility Sports (@_utilitysports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_utilitysports\/status\/1685027729840750593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">An NBA champion like Siakam could catapult the Thunder into playoff status and help to develop the long list of youngsters seemingly waiting their turn. Don\u2019t wait, use your assets to compete.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"none\">Tough Decisions<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Although it seems the Raptors are headed towards trading Siakam, there are many possibilities at play. No matter what they do, they\u2019re looking to maximize their output. Whether that\u2019s what they can get <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">out of <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">him or what they can get <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">for <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">him. The coming weeks or even days will reveal Pascal Siakam\u2019s future.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam seems to be on his way out of Toronto any day now, with rumors that a trade of the two-time All-Star and NBA champion is \u201cinevitable\u201d, per Mark Medina. Why does Toronto suddenly feel the need to rebuild and where could they move Siakam to?\u00a0 Pascal Siakam: His Imminent Trade [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4610,"featured_media":52398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62],"tags":[1754],"class_list":["post-52394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-pascal-siakam"],"modified_by":"Mike Schretter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}