Pascal Siakam has been the Toronto Raptors’ best player since 2020, but rumors of a potential trade have been swirling. Siakam is a former NBA Champion, MIP, and a two All-Star. However, with a year left on his contract, his free agency is starting to circle over Toronto’s head.
The Raptors’ pick at 27 in the 2016 NBA Draft has been one of the best players in franchise history. His game has improved immensely over the years, and his performance during the last two seasons suggests that the best of Siakam is still to come.
Now is not the time to move him, as the Raptors could end up setting themselves back with an ill-fated move if they decide to pursue this line of inquiry. Keeping him is the best way to ensure they could be a contender in teams to come.
3 reasons the Toronto Raptors should not trade Pascal Siakam:
3. Who replaces Pascal Siakam at the power forward?
Should any of the rumors surrounding Siakam’s name this summer precede a trade, his departure would leave a huge hole in the Raptors’ lineup. Scottie Barnes would likely be the immediate replacement, leaving the point guard duties to recent free agent Dennis Schroder.
The return package could also create some roster logjams that make it harder for Barnes to become the star the team thinks he can be.
For example, a three-way deal between Toronto, Portland, and Miami could work with Tyler Herro coming to Toronto, Siakam to Portland, and Damian Lillard to the Heat. Herro could provide Toronto with another sharpshooter, but he could interfere with Gary Trent Jr. and Gradey Dick.
Trading Pascal Siakam hurts the Toronto Raptors.
The chemistry between Barnes and Siakam on high-low feeds has been brilliant to watch. Both players are steady scorers, and keeping them together for a few years could be electric. However, Barnes, by himself with no lead scorer to take pressure away, is a risky bet.
Siakam will be difficult to replace even with Barnes claiming his spot and the team will be weaker overall. Trading Siakam now could trigger what has been a slow rolling rebuild, since 2020, into full swing, something management has been resisting for a while.
2. Pascal Siakam is a franchise icon.
Perhaps the only drafted player in Raptors’ history to have a bigger impact on the Franchise’s success was DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan was instrumental in playoff runs for Toronto from 2014-2018. However, after he was traded for Kawhi Leonard, it was Siakam who stepped up and filled the shoes as a secondary scoring option in 2019.
Imagine if that sort of loyalty, and his insistence on staying when he could have demanded a trade multiple times, was rewarded with such an unusually timed trade.
The Toronto Raptors should benefit from everything Pascal Siakam has.
After making a huge improvement in points per game from 2018-2019, when he was the MIP, Siakam has been Toronto’s best scorer ever since. Siakam brings so much more to the table than just his scoring, as he does so with solid defensive efforts,
He is in perpetual motion, defending, rebounding, and scoring. Players who buy into the hard work and the Raptors’ team culture like him don’t come along daily.
There is a “growing sentiment” that if traded, Siakam would not sign a contract extension and enter free agency in the summer of 2024. Should he stick to this position, he could be an integral Raptor for a long time. A trade now would wound large chunks of the fan base, as Siakam is a true fan favorite.
1. Raptors’ management invested too much in free agency
Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster invested quite a bit this offseason to acquire and keep talent. They lost Fred VanVleet, but resigned Jakob Poeltl, and saw Trent opt into his final year. It’s also been reported they are working on an extension for him. The contract signings didn’t stop there, as Jalen McDaniels and Dennis Schroder were added to the roster.
The Raptors are usually hit or miss to keep their own guys in free agency, much less add two quality players in addition. Management seems intent on letting the core of this roster have at least one more opportunity to prove itself in 2024.
The Toronto Raptors could win with Pascal Siakam.
With all the returning players and the new contracts added in free agency and around the draft, Toronto is spending around $163 million, approximately $3 million under the luxury tax level. This fact alone signifies a team willing to compete with what is a complete roster already. Even if management would like to reduce salary and have more cap flexibility, they can gauge the progress of the team and make cost-cutting decisions to secure the future before the trade deadline.
The team’s won/lost record will determine what happens with Siakam. If the Raptors keep him for a playoff run in 2024, and Siakam were to make an All-NBA team in 2024, he could resign with the team on a five-year deal worth around $58 million per season or the equivalent of 35% of the team’s cap space.
Finally, trade partners may not want to give up Siakam’s true value, as he has stated he will not sign an extension with any team he’s traded to. In other words, only teams who believe Siakam will make them an NBA champion will likely have the stones to make this deal.
A trade this summer for a market of so few teams is way too early since general managers already know they will have to enter a bidding war to retain Siakam beyond 2024. The trade deadline is more appropriate, but only if the Raptors have a losing record should they consider moving “Spicy P.”