The Toronto Raptors find themselves in a very precarious position, as they remain in a play-in spot if the season were to end today, yet find themselves the subject of endless trade rumors. Will they hold on to Pascal Siakam, or finally give in to those who want him to be traded?
Siakam helped the trade rumors get even louder with a 31-point showing against an Atlanta Hawks team that has been linked to Pascal since last year. Unfortunately for them, they won't be the only team with eyes on the prize if Toronto is still in a selling mood at the deadline.
The Raptors shouldn't necessarily prioritize sending Siakam somewhere that gives him the best chance to win this season. Instead, they should only field inquiries from teams who are willing to sacrifice a lot in exchange for one of the most unique talents out there on the open market.
The Raptors need to avoid doing business with one of these three teams, as they lack the required pieces to give the Raptors any sort of adequate return in exchange for Siakam. The Raptors are better off targeting a team that can part with draft picks and impactful young players.
3 teams the Toronto Raptors shouldn't trade Pascal Siakam to.
3. Miami Heat
Pat Riley has been so amazing at closing deals (sarcasm) in the last few years that he managed to bungle the Damian Lillard chase despite the fact Dame tried just about everything in his power to get there. Perhaps Portland was underwhelmed by Miami's tradeable pieces.
A player like Tyler Herro would be a solid lead player in a Siakam return package, but he won't be on the table for a player in Pascal that is a free agent at the end of the season. With Herro off the table, a team that is already lacking in great depth will have to tempt Toronto with whatever pieces they can stitch together.
The Heat can't help the Toronto Raptors in Pascal Siakam talks.
Duncan Robinson is still a quite unsightly contract, Nikola Jovic's recent demotion to the G League has taken some of the wind out of his sails, and Caleb Martin is simply not the type of player that should be one of the headlining pieces in this deal. Miami's haul of future picks isn't exactly a treasure trove.
The Heat may not be the most natural fit for Siakam, but Riley might be motivated to squeeze one more run out of an aging group. If that means trying to get Siakam, he will need to prepare such an aggressive offer that Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster would be fools to turn it down.