NBA rumors: Clippers foolishly pursued Pascal Siakam trade

The Toronto Raptors have been bombarded with trade rumors in the last few months, with contenders in both conferences trying to do everything they can to snatch Pascal Siakam away from Masai Ujiri. Prospects of a trade have dwindled in recent days, however.

The Atlanta Hawks seemed to make sense as a suitor, as they need one more star next to Trae Young and could have offered Dejounte Murray in the return package. However, his recent extension made him ineligible to be traded. This inadvertently took Atlanta out of the running.

The Los Angeles Clippers do not have anywhere near the treasure trove of assets that the Hawks have, but the front office and ownership circle are committed to paying whatever price is necessary to win now. As such, they tried to make a run at Siakam.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Clippers pursued Siakam via trade at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline before coming up short. The rumors have started back up again, but Lowe (and many other outside observers) are unsure of how the Clippers are supposed to acquire a player of his caliber with their assets.

NBA rumors: Raptors’ Pascal Siakam eyed by Clippers.

Assuming that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are staying, the best assets the Clippers can likely offer are Norman Powell and Terance Mann. The Raptors already traded away Powell to avoid paying him a ton of money, and Mann averaged less than nine points per game. That doesn’t exactly scream “headliner” for a Siakam trade.

The Clippers have shipped away multiple years’ worth of first-round picks, with the Thunder still standing to benefit from the George deal in the immediate future. Even if they want to base their offer around draft picks, LA is woefully underequipped to make this deal a reality.

In theory, Siakam would be a fantastic fit alongside Leonard and George, especially with how often they have missed games due to injuries. However, Terance Mann is not an adequate return for one of the best power forwards in the NBA and a franchise icon.

The Raptors may end up trading Siakam after all this, but they won’t do so unless they can grab a few young players with upside and some draft capital to help them build into the future. The Clippers have a need for Siakam, but they lack the funds needed to make a very compelling offer to Toronto.