Pascal Siakam Trade Odds: Will Toronto Raptors Keep Him or Move Him?
Where will Pascal Siakam Play Next Season?
Pascal Siakam Decision Could Come After Fred VanVleet Surprise Decision
Things have been pretty quiet on the Toronto Raptors front since the free agency period, with PG Fred VanVleet bolting the team and heading to the Houston Rockets for three years, $130 million.
Maybe the team management of President Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster needed a bit of time to digest that. It was a shocker, especially the amount of money the Rockets tossed at VanVleet.
Now comes media reports the Raptors might be looking to trade all-star power forward Pascal Siakam, as they continue to try to walk a line between rebuilding while somehow staying competitive.
Siakam, who is entering the last year of his contract, has already said he doesn’t want to be traded out of Toronto. VanVleet’s departure might be changing all that from the team’s perspective.
Now here comes special markets like the one offered by NorthStar Bets where Siakam will be tying his shoes when they start the season for real this October. Good news for Raptors' fans is that NorthStar Bets has Toronto the favourite at 1.65
Could Another Team Coax the Raptors to Trade Pascal Siakam?
The Thunder have plenty of draft picks in the cupboard over the next five seasons, so a package of picks and young players like small forward Jalen Williams coming back is probably why oddsmakers have the Thunder where they have them. The Nets rumours don’t make as much sense – one internet proposal had Ben Simmons coming back to Toronto, which is ridiculous. Maybe the two first round picks via Phoenix (2025 and 2027) that the Nets own, as part of a package, could be something.
Other teams thrown around as possible destinations if the Raptors pull the trigger are the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.
The Hawks are most favoured because they see a real opportunity to team Siakam up with Trae Young and roll out a starting five that also includes Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu.
The Raptors and Siakam appear to not be talking about a contract extension, so you really have to wonder if those trade rumours have real legitimacy.
The Raptors brought in free agent point guard Dennis Schroder to replace VanVleet, re-signed center Jakob Poeltl and reportedly plan on playing Scottie Barnes more at PG as well, so bringing the two-time all-star Siakam back and extending his contract makes a lot of sense as well, especially since Siakam wants to stay in Toronto.
The team could bring him back and then focus on locking down O.G. Anunoby on a new contract since reports indicate new coach Darko Rajakovic plans to give him a bigger role in the offence.
But those odds are tightening as the chatter grows louder.
