The Raptors find themselves at a crossroads entering the 2023/24 season. The same is true of All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
Despite everyone around the league keying in on Toronto as a possible seller at the February trade deadline, the team instead decided to make a win-now move, trading away a 2024 first-round pick to land center Jakob Poeltl. The Raptors played better down the stretch with the Austrian big man in the lineup, but they ultimately finished just 41-41 and were quickly eliminated from the play-in tournament.
Toronto lost guard Fred VanVleet — Siakam’s longtime running mate — to Houston in free agency, replacing him with Dennis Schröder. While Schröder is a solid player, most would consider him a pretty significant downgrade from VanVleet. And Toronto’s other notable offseason moves — signing Jalen McDaniels and drafting Gradey Dick — are unlikely to have a major impact on the standings in ’23/24.
Siakam, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract, and the Raptors won’t want to lose him for nothing like they did with VanVleet. The Hawks have been repeatedly mentioned as a trade suitor for the two-time All-NBA member this offseason. The Pacers and Trail Blazers have been cited at times as well, though Portland seems an unlikely destination after Damian Lillard‘s trade request.
Siakam reportedly doesn’t want to play anywhere but Toronto. He’s coming on off an excellent season in ’22/23, averaging 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 71 games (37.4 minutes), with the points and assists per game representing career highs.
The 29-year-old is a long, versatile play-maker who isn’t a great shooter — similar to ’21/22 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes. OG Anunoby is another rangy forward on the roster who’s entering the final year of his deal, but the Raptors reportedly aren’t open to moving the All-Defensive Second Team member.
The decision to move Siakam or not certainly isn’t a simple one for the Raptors. Siakam, the ’18/19 Most Improved Player, has blossomed into a legitimate star, and the Raptors haven’t had much success landing top-tier free agents. There’s a real chance they could give him a contract extension if they don’t deal him.
If they move Siakam to free up bigger roles for Barnes and Anunoby, what would a return package look like? Masai Ujiri hasn’t shown any inclination to entertain a rebuild in the past, so draft picks are unlikely to be of much interest. Perhaps young players who would better fit the roster could make sense, but who can meet that ask?
We want to know what you think. Should the Raptors trade Siakam? Should they extend him? Or should they wait until the trade deadline or next offseason to resolve the matter? Head to the comments and share your thoughts. We look forward to your input.
Yes they should, if only to let Barnes move to the four and bring back depth and pics for the Raps.
That’s just one of MANY reasons
– growth of younger players
– cap crunch, can’t keep ‘em all (Scottie, OG, The playmaker the line up so desperately requires just to name a few)
– line up full of “none shooters”
– lack of bench depth
– fringe tax payer team with “play in” ceiling (will not win a playoff round let alone contend AND will perpetually draft late lottery early non lottery)
Pascal is a better player than his situation in Toronto will allow and unfortunately him staying will NOT allow the Raptors to truly move forward if contention is really the intention of this franchise.
They should keep Siakim at least until the deadline. I think this team is better than what they showed last season.
Yeah, but if we can’t give OG more reps it’s a slap in his face and probably lowers our chances of retaining him in free agency.
If we want OG over Pascal we should move Pascal now.
THEY SHOULD HAVE TRADED HIM AT THE DRAFT TO CHARLOTTE SO THEY COULD HAVE DRAFTED SCOOT HENDERSON!!
No chance Portland does that with Dame wanting out.
It says Charlotte
So it does. Doh
Yeah but why does Charlotte do that deal? If I’m CHA, I want young players to build up a core first, once that core is established, you can move players that don’t fit and future picks for win now players.
Honestly I dont see a situation where Siakam’s presence or absence has a significant impact on next season i.e. who cares
Depends on the return, he’s worth more than expiring contracts and bad picks as the only return. 1st round picks or a good player needs to come back.
DeAndre Hunter, AJ Griffin, Patty Mills plus Sac’s 2024 1st… or Dre, Kobe Bufkin, Patty & 2 1sts… link to m.youtube.com
IF, he really want to stay sign him now to an extension. If it is just a bargaining ploy to benefit him, trade him now making sure a first rounder is part of it.
Look at Ujiri’s track record after losing Leonard:
-Doesn’t trade Lowry at the deadline and gets a lot less in a sign and trade
-Lets VanFleet leave for nothing because he refused to trade him at the deadline
-Trades a first for Poeltl when they have plenty of size and no shooting on a mediocre team
-Now refuses to trade Siakam or Anunoby when this team is a 6-12 seed at best
I think it’s time for this idea that Uriji is some risk taking GM is over. All they’ve done is tread water as a mediocre team and in the process wasted opportunities to jumpstart a rebuild.
You lost me at “Trades a first for Poeltl when they have plenty of size”
He will sign an extension as he said he wants to be a raptor for life. Prove it!
If he won’t sign then trade for what you can get which won’t be for much because teams don’t know if he will sign or leave.
Raptors have the same problem because proof of the signing.
Should have traded og and Freddy. Stupid stupid stupid to hold until other teams have you in a pinch
Still think he will sign.
You suggest that he needs to sign an extension to prove he wants to be a Raptor for life. What if they haven’t offered him an extension and the team is looking to trade him, not him asking to leave? That seems to be what’s going on right now, you can’t blame Siakim for that.
Personally, I think the Raps have put both him and OG on the market to see if they can get a team to way overpay for their services. I don’t think the Raps want to trade either, and it sounds like they’ve been asking an exorbitant price for either/both.
Some return is better than no return. A large expiring contract, young asset, picks.
Yes …….. Retool now.
Achiuwa, Poeltl, Gradey, Barnes, OG …..
You build around that. You get a young starter back. Plus you get picks.
OG is opting out. So do the Raptors view him as a Max player is the real question. If not get 3 1sts and a player.
He’s not worth three first. Not yet anyway.
Best return is on Siakam.
Yes. Either that, or trade Barnes. It’s been obvious since Barnes got there. Except perhaps to Ujiri. Not sure whether his ego prevents him from seeing the flaws in his custom made roster, or he sees them, but isn’t comfortable in his own ability to fix them. It would need to involve a real basketball trade, a scary thought to most NBA FO’s these days.
Why would the Raptors want to trade Siakam the best player on their roster?
No
If its for their sake, then yes they should trade him. He reminds me of a handful of pending free agents, that a team loves and expects them to be back. The feeling is mutual.
But the player gets courted by other friends and players when the time comes, and they sign somewhere else.
Leaving team empty, and wondering what happened.
[Then team pivots and says its great they have plenty of cap space to take advantage of an unexpected star player that wants out, and a trade opportunity to use that space. (But its mostly irrelevant as players choose the teams where they want to be traded to anyway. ]
I am biased being a hawks fan and seeing this play out several times…