Raptors should not include Pascal Siakam in any Pacers trade talks

The Indiana Pacers are rumored to move towards rebuilding the team, as they are willing to discuss trade talks around Caris LeVert, Myles Turner, or Domantas Sabonis. One of these players moving into the Toronto Raptors frontcourt alongside Pascal Siakam could be enough to get this team getting back to the postseason.

They could improve the roster by trading for one of these three players. The Raptors just barely have enough assets to get either LeVert, Turner, or Sabonis. In theory, their best asset for making a trade is Siakam.

While Masai Ujiri and the front office have done everything in their power to squash Siakam trade rumors, they will never truly go away as long as Toronto remains mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Toronto should consider trading for Turner or Sabonis, but they should not give up Siakam in any trade scenario at any cost. He’s too valuable for this team on both ends of the floor, and doing so could make it tough to take that next step in the right direction.

Why the Toronto Raptors should not involve Pascal Siakam in trade talks.

Even though he’s not officially available in trade talks, Siakam has been in numerous trade rumors in the past couple of months. His name was in so many rumblings during the offseason that his agent, Ujiri, and Siakam himself had to debunk those rumors.

It’s not surprising that teams across the league would want Siakam. He’s averaging 19.1 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Now he’s looking at his old self again. His performance against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 5 shows that he can still dominate. He finished the game with 31 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

So, it’s understandable that he’s the guy that a lot of teams want. But unlike a lot of teams, the Pacers have an attractable star in Sabonis available. They even have guys like LeVert and Turner who make your team better. Should the Raptors give up Siakam for Sabonis, LeVert, or Turner? I say no.

Turner might fit with the Raptors well. He’s taller than Siakam and is a better defensive player. Sabonis might not be as skilled on the defensive end

The Toronto Raptors should not do a Siakam for Sabonis trade

Even though Sabonis would fit the Raptors better, Siakam is the better player. There is no need to trade him for a player who is in the same tier while attaching multiple draft picks when you’re not going to compete for a championship this season. That could rob Toronto of their future draft capital.

Trading for Sabonis isn’t making this team a championship contender, so there is no point in making this trade. Letting a franchise player in Siakam go to make this deal a reality is just rearranging the deck chairs. You could trade other players on the Raptors for Turner, LeVert, or Sabonis.

After a slow start due to his shoulder injury, Siakam is finally looking like himself again. So, the last thing you wouldn’t want to do with him is trading him for Sabonis or trading for both Turner and LeVert. If the Raptors want any of the three players from the Pacers, Siakam should not be available in trade talks.