Breaking: The Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings are interested in trading for Pascal Siakam.
Since the free-agency period started, Toronto forward and former All-Star Pascal Siakam has received much traction in the NBA trade market. The Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings have been the top-three most vocal organizations in the NBA when expressing interest for Siakam. However, how likely is it that Siakam would be traded away from Toronto?
This past season, the Raptors missed the playoffs, which was the first time since 2012. From injuries to lack of a true starting center, Toronto struggled to stay relevant and is officially a part of a rebuild. Toronto’s historic championship run in 2019 seems so far away considering where they are now.
Despite their disappointments from last season, the Raptors still have solid pieces for the future that include Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and their fourth overall selection in Scottie Barnes. While they do have some potential to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, Toronto’s window of comfortably rebuilding the Raptors is incredibly slim, especially when factoring in the ages of two of their best players in Siakam and VanVleet. Siakam and VanVleet are currently 27-years-old, making them young enough to be in a rebuilding situation and old enough to contribute to a championship contender. This is one of the primary reasons Toronto is in an awkward position with their duo. They do not have much breathing room in rebuilding the Raptors like how Toronto did in the 2018 off-season.
It’s time to make a change. The reality is, Toronto will be a rebuilding team until further notice unless Scottie Barnes can be the Raptors new Kawhi Leonard. With that being unlikely for this upcoming season, entertaining organizations willing to trade for Siakam may not be the worst option for the Raptors.
According to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, reports have surfaced that the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings are all interested in trading for Pascal Siakam. Siakam is currently on a relatively large contract and is getting paid roughly 33-37 million dollars for the next three seasons. That is a lot of change to cough up, and with two organizations already jailed into their large contracts, only one organization can realistically trade for the former champion.
The interest of Pascal Siakam from the Clippers and Warriors is understandable but unlikely to happen as both organizations do not have any cap space to work with unless they trade away a vital part of the roster. However, the Sacramento Kings, a team that has been endlessly rebuilding since 2006, have a real chance at trading for Siakam. From many young prospects to valuable draft picks, the Kings have all the pieces to trade for Siakam. Let’s look at what a potential trade offer could look like for the Sacramento Kings if they want to pursue this option.
Toronto receives- Marvin Balgley lll, Buddy Hield, Davion Mitchell, 2023 unprotected first-round pick, 2027 unprotected first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick
Sacramento receives- Pascal Siakam
The Raptors get a haul of young players, draft picks and a veteran in Buddy Hield. Toronto needs to get more youthful, and that’s what this trade provides them. Attaining two unprotected first-round picks from a team that has been notoriously terrible in the regular season is quite valuable for the Raptors to have. In addition, Marvin Bagley, who has shown signs of potential while formally being the second-pick in the 2018 NBA draft, needs a new home and a place where he can have a consistent role. Bagley needs to be in a place like Toronto as he would be the primary big man for many years to come. Davion Mitchell, the ninth pick of the 2021 NBA draft, is the ideal point guard that the Raptors need for the future. His speed and tight defence are two key elements that Toronto will be missing after trading away Kyle Lowry. Overall, Toronto gets a haul filled with potential and trade value. Buddy Hield is not part of the Raptors future but is a valuable trade asset as many contenders, including the Los Angeles Lakers, have been interested in him since the start of the free-agency period.
This is a win-win situation for both organizations involved in this trade. Toronto can finally enter a rebuilding phase and develop its highly recruited prospects. At the same time, the Kings can finally change their losing atmosphere into a winning culture with Pascal Siakam. Even though Siakam was the third option in the 2019 championship run, Siakam has the winning experience and will provide the competitive energy that the Kings have been looking for since 2006.