The Toronto Raptors desperately want to move Pascal Siakam ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
For months, the front office has made its intentions in regards to the 29-year-old clear.
That being said, Siakam’s contract and future plans have complicated matters. He is set to be a free agent this summer and is seeking a max contract. That means any team that acquires him will need to one, be prepared to pay him in the way he clearly wants to be paid, and two, has to be a place he actually wants to stay.
The Sacramento Kings kicked the tires on a potential Siakam trade recently – only to be rebuffed. Siakam, for whatever reason, isn’t interested in playing for them long-term.
At one point the Golden State Warriors also expressed interest in adding Siakam, but their refusal to include one particular star in the exchange scuttled negotiations.
Since then, a new frontrunner for his services has emerged.
According To Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Indiana Pacers are a team to watch for Siakam in the coming days.
“Whether it’s the [Sacramento] Kings or any other team that is taking a serious look at Siakam — the Indiana Pacers are seen by some rival executives as the leaders in this pack — the factors in play are somewhat similar to those that led to Toronto’s trade with San Antonio for Leonard in the summer of 2018,” he wrote.
“There will be no promises made about his free agency future for any team, with the pursuing organization needing to roll the dice and hope for the kind of best-case scenario that unfolded when the Raptors won it all during their one season with Leonard in 2019. It’s a gamble, to be sure, one that the Kings and perhaps others are thinking twice about making. And with good reason.”
It will be interesting to see where things go from here.
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Obviously Siakam is a very talented player, but he also isn’t a No. 1 option on a championship-contending team.
That limits the amount front offices will be willing to give up for him.
Will the Pacers ultimately be able to get something done for Siakam ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
