NBA rumors: Raptors desire to extend Pascal Siakam could waver

The case of Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam and his next big contract has been among the most puzzling and unusual situations in recent NBA history. Both parties seem to suggest they want to stay with one another outwardly, yet no tangible progress has been made on an extension.

The Raptors have refused trades for Siakam all offseason long and are building their offensive structure around him once again, and Pascal himself has leaked out that he would only sign an extension with Toronto to deter the idea of teams trading for him in the summer.

Despite those two factors working in tandem, an extension appears to be far away. Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer is also reporting that Toronto’s desire to lock Siakam up could erode fast.

“From what I heard, I think that will change if we get to the regular season and Toronto is a team that doesn’t want to sign him to an extension or hasn’t done it,” Fischer said via the “No Cap Room” podcast. The Raptors need to stop waiting around and get this deal done already.

NBA rumors: Toronto Raptors may not extend Pascal Siakam.

Masai Ujiri has indirectly called out his Raptors team for playing with “selfishness” in the past, and it is unclear if any of those barbs were directed at Pascal himself. Part of the reason Darko Rajakovic was hired is the fact he comes from a wide-open offensive system where everyone eats.

While it would be difficult to transition to Scottie Barnes as the primary offensive option on this team with Siakam in town on what could be a gigantic contract in supermax territory, it also doesn’t make sense to purposefully part with one of the best players in the league at the tail end of his prime.

Toronto could actually get a discount on Siakam if they extend him now, as an All-NBA season would mean he is eligible for a supermax deal that would make him one of the highest-paid players in the NBA. Are they letting Siakam bet on himself? What’s going on?

Siakam is an elite player who seems willing to reject the overtures of the rest of the league in the name of staying with Toronto long-term. The fact the Raptors have decided to play this very dangerous game for no reason comes off as incredibly backward and unlike Ujiri.

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