1. PF Pascal Siakam
This is the big domino that will either make or break Toronto’s vision of becoming a winning team with its current core. A move for Siakam looks more realistic than ever before, as Toronto’s new offense has found it difficult to maximize both Barnes and Siakam, despite No. 43’s desire to stay.
Siakam is shooting under 40% from the field, and his usage has been strange. After getting just eight shots in a loss to the 76ers, Toronto went overboard and let him take an inordinate chunk of the shots in the fall to Portland. If Toronto is dead set on making Barnes the guy, is it worth paying Siakam to be the No. 2 player?
Pascal Siakam could start a Toronto Raptors rebuild.
Siakam is going to command a giant nine-figure contract on top of a Barnes extension. While it will be very difficult to find a player even close to Siakam’s skillset, Toronto would get multiple golden chances to do so in the haul Siakam would bring back from a team like the Hawks.
Extending Siakam should still be the priority, but the Raptors need to move swiftly if they believe in their heart of hearts that a rebuild is coming. Pascal would net multiple first-round picks and young players on controllable deals, which is music to Ujiri’s ears.