It’s been a turbulent week for Toronto Raptors fans after the front office didn’t make any franchise-altering moves before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Though all of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby were floated as potential chips in blockbuster deals, Masai Ujiri sat on his hands. The one silver lining is the general manager bolstered Toronto’s frontcourt in the form of Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl, which allowed for the dumping of Khem Birch’s contract.
Still, though, Ujiri squandered a golden opportunity to either go all-in for a championship by pursuing Kevin Durant, and igniting a mini rebuild by offloading the likes of Anunoby and VanVleet to build around Siakam and Scottie Barnes.
Long story short, Raptors fans could use some good news.
They got just that nearly 24 hours removed from the deadline on Friday, as Siakam is expected to be one of three replacements named to the All-Star Game, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Suns’ De’Aaron Fox and Timberwolves Anthony Edwards are the two other rumored replacements.
Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, Toronto's Pascal Siakam and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox are expected to be named the three All-Star reserve replacements for Feb. 19 game in Salt Lake City, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2023
Raptors star Pascal Siakam named an All-Star replacement amid career season.
Though Raptors fans are still up in arms over the trade deadline, they should absolutely set aside their frustration to celebrate Siakam. Toronto’s offense has been nearly impossible to watch on a nightly basis, but Siakam has been the one constant, posting career-highs across the board with little support from teammates.
All told, Siakam missing 10 games with a groin injury, coupled with the Raptors surprisingly sluggish first-half performance, likely cost him a spot on the initial All-Star rosters. Most fans would argue he deserved to make the initial team regardless, but being named a replacement counts just the same when you consider the season he’s put together.
In 46 games, Siakam is averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor. He’s cemented himself as one of the NBA’s premier scorers inside the three-point line, and his craftiness around the basket has improved seemingly with each passing season.
To say nothing of his nightly impact on the defensive end.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1624113722036715533
Keep in mind Siakam is doing all of this while leading the Association with 37.5 minutes per game. The Raptors are quite literally asking him to do everything, and he’s answered the bell with the best season of his career.
Congratulations to Pascal; a shining light during what has otherwise been a maddening Raptors season.
Toronto Raptors projected starting lineup after Jakob Poeltl trade
The Toronto Raptors acquired Jakob Poeltl in exchange for a first-round draft choice. What will the Raptors starting lineup look like?