Grade the Trade: Raptors get haul of young players for Pascal Siakam

It wouldn’t be a day that ends in Y without the Toronto Raptors and star Pascal Siakam getting thrust head-first into the middle of tons of trade rumors. This time around, the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder (per Matt Moore of The Action Network) have registered interest.

While the 76ers are nothing more than a pipe dream destination for Siakam due to the fact Nick Nurse is the coach in Philadelphia and Daryl Morey lacks assets. The Thunder, however, are right on the fringe of being a contender. One more Siakam-sized piece in the heart of the rotation could be enough to set them apart.

If the Raptors are going to take their sweet time and gauge teams all over the league in the name of finding the best deal available, their search could end at a Thunder team that has picks to sell, a need for a high-end scorer, and the financial flexibility to absorb his big contract.

Grade the Trade: Thunder take Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.

Bertans is a solid shooter, but he is nothing more than salary filler that will likely not end the season on the Toronto roster. The picks and young players are what Toronto will likely be targeting in any sort of hypothetical Thunder swap, and OKC has plenty of those to go around.

Williams is another perfect Raptors player, as he has experience at three different positions and a growing offensive game that will allow him to make an immediate impact. Dort is a terrific 3-and-D player, even if his contract appears to be a bit rich for someone with his history.

The Thunder have 35 draft picks in the next seven seasons, meaning they might be more willing to attach multiple unprotected selections in order to make their offer even more attractive than some of the other teams out there. Players like Siakam aren’t always available.

The Raptors get young assets; the Thunder get Siakam. What is not to like here?

Grade: B+