4 very bold predictions ahead of Raptors’ 2023-24 season

1. Pascal Siakam signs a supermax contract

If Siakam makes All-NBA this season, he could be eligible for a supermax contract from the Raptors. While Masai Ujiri has taken a wait-and-see approach when it comes to giving Pascal the deal he wants, a strong campaign under Darko Rajakovic could speed up the timeline.

Siakam may not shoulder the burden of minutes Nick Nurse placed on him last season, but he is going to play on a team with much better spacing and a faster tempo, which could help his scoring numbers continue to grow. Another nod would make three years in a row where Pascal has either been All-NBA or an All-Star.

The Toronto Raptors must sign Pascal Siakam.

The Raptors expect Barnes to be a playmaker next season, but the odds of him becoming a Siakam-esque star in the next few years are long, to put it very mildly. The supermax will eat into their financial flexibility, but Toronto can’t lose such an important part of their franchise.

Still just 29 years old, Siakam has enough gas left in the tank to earn one more giant contract. The dream scenario for the Raptors involves winning with a Siakam-led team in the first few years of the deal before gradually fading into a secondary role and letting Barnes take over.

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