{"id":54429,"date":"2023-09-14T16:09:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T20:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=54429"},"modified":"2023-09-14T16:09:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T20:09:14","slug":"nba-rumors-latest-on-pascal-siakam-trade-talks-between-raptors-and-hawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/09\/14\/nba-rumors-latest-on-pascal-siakam-trade-talks-between-raptors-and-hawks\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Latest on Pascal Siakam Trade Talks Between Raptors and Hawks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the trade speculation between <\/span>Damian Lillard<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>James Harden<\/b><\/a>, one player who has flown under the radar in trade rumors is Toronto Raptors forward <\/span>Pascal Siakam<\/b><\/a>. In a time of uncertainty in the North, the Raptors reportedly engaged in discussions with the Atlanta Hawks. Now, there\u2019s one player who is reportedly off the table in Atlanta.<\/span><\/p>\n

NBA Rumors: Latest on Pascal Siakam Trade Talks Between Raptors and Hawks<\/b><\/h2>\n

Background<\/b><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>talks surrounding Siakam\u2019s future<\/span><\/a> in Toronto began intensifying in August, with Shams Charania reporting that the two sides did not agree to an extension as the Raptors mulled their future. The Raptors already lost <\/span>Kawhi Leonard<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Fred VanVleet<\/b><\/a> for nothing in recent years. They cannot afford to do the same with Siakam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Siakam had a career year for the Raptors. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game on 48\/32\/77 splits. He\u2019s also in the final year of his four-year, $136 million contract. With no current plans for an extension, the Raptors could look to receive maximum value if they decide to rebuild after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hawks\u2014who moved on from <\/span>John Collins<\/b><\/a> via <\/span>trade<\/span><\/a> earlier this summer\u2014appeared to be (and still are) the logical destination. According to <\/span>HoopsHype<\/span><\/a>, the Raptors and Hawks discussed a Siakam deal that centered around <\/span>De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>AJ Griffin<\/b><\/a> and draft compensation\u2014but those talks \u201cnever materialized.\u201d More recent reporting indicates that Atlanta is unwilling to part with rookie guard <\/span>Kobe Bufkin<\/b><\/a>, who Atlanta drafted 15th overall in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kobe Bufkin and his Potential<\/b><\/h3>\n

Snyder is understandably high on <\/span>Bufkin<\/span><\/a>, who averaged 14 points per game on 48\/35\/85 splits in his sophomore year at Michigan. He was on a tear in his final eight contests\u2014a blistering 19.3 points per game on 45 percent from deep. He\u2019s a combo guard who can thrive both on and off the ball, making plays or cutting to the basket. Bufkin also excels on defense, known as a point-of-attack defender with high intensity and discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bufkin immediately fills a role as <\/span>Trae Young<\/b><\/a>\u2019s backup, adding immense value to Atlanta\u2019s guard depth and potentially contributing as a three-point marksman. Last season, the Hawks finished 21st in three-point percentage (35.2 percent). However, their bench performed well, shooting nearly 38% from deep (fifth in the NBA). Adding an efficient, high-volume shooter in Bufkin will serve the Hawks well. Also, Bufkin\u2019s development in playmaking will be a major boost to the Hawks\u2019 bench\u2014who finished 27th in assists per game (6 APG). With his impact and high potential, it\u2019s understandable why the Hawks prefer to keep Bufkin in \u201cthe A.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Raptors and Hawks Go From Here<\/b><\/h3>\n

With the Raptors still eyeing a proper return for Siakam, it makes sense to go after young assets and draft capital that can help in a potential rebuild. They could either contribute immediately or be traded into a better situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bogdan Bogdanovic Rumor<\/b><\/h4>\n

HoopsHype also added <\/span>Bogdan Bogdanovic<\/b><\/a> as a name to watch in trade talks with Toronto. He averaged 14 points per game this season on 44% shooting from the field and 40% from three. For the Raptors\u2014who finished 28th in three-point percentage (33.5%) \u2014adding him would be ideal. However, his recent injuries are concerning. Bogdanovic recently signed a four-year, $68 million extension with the Hawks in March.<\/span><\/p>\n

No matter the framework, Bogdanovic and his $18 million salary would have to be included to get close to Siakam\u2019s $37 million. If he becomes the centerpiece of any deal with Toronto, the Hawks must be mindful of how a trade could impact their forward depth\u2014especially if it happens early on in the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

The latest developments between the Hawks and Raptors only confirm the interest in working toward a deal. Whether something materializes remains to be seen, but sending Siakam to Atlanta and Bogdanovic to Toronto makes sense for both sides.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amid the trade speculation between Damian Lillard and James Harden, one player who has flown under the radar in trade rumors is Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. In a time of uncertainty in the North, the Raptors reportedly engaged in discussions with the Atlanta Hawks. Now, there\u2019s one player who is reportedly off the table […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":51552,"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":[1608,4,62,14],"tags":[1227,4848,4774,1754,1349],"class_list":["post-54429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hawks","category-nba","category-raptors","tag-bogdan-bogdanovic","tag-kobe-bufkin","tag-rumors","tag-pascal-siakam","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54429","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\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}