Few NBA teams may be willing to bite on Raptors' steep price for Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam is expected to be traded ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The two-time All-NBA forward is in the final few months of his current four-year, $136.9 million contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. As such, the Toronto Raptors have three choices: trade him, re-sign him, or lose him for nothing in the summer.
This time last season, the Raptors were in a similar situation with Fred VanVleet, who signed with the Houston Rockets in the offseason. Toronto won't want to risk losing a second star. With that in mind, there is a growing expectation that Siakam will be traded in the coming weeks. However, the Raptors asking price appears to be steep.
According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, Toronto isn't seeking to acquire draft assets in a potential trade. Instead, they want to receive young players with significant upside, similar to what they got in return for OG Anunoby from the New York Knicks.
"There are hurdles, in addition to getting Siakam’s blessing," Lewenberg reported. "The Raptors have indicated that they won’t consider offers centered on draft compensation — those packages are out there, as they were for Anunoby, but Toronto is targeting young players with star upside."
The Raptors are right to have expectations of what they get in return for Siakam. He has been one of their star players in recent years and has the talent to continue playing at an All-NBA level. But by requesting young talent with high upside, Masai Ujiri is limiting the potential trade options available to him.
Teams are often reluctant to part ways with their young prospects, especially ones with star potential. Factor in Siakam's rumored desire to hit free agency this summer and his loft salary, and Toronto's trade options quickly diminish.
Ujiri may need to re-evaluate his strategy. If he can't find a suitable trade, it would be wiser to re-sign Siakam and then look to trade him further down the line. As a franchise that is hoping to re-tool the roster rather than rebuild, allowing Siakam to leave for nothing would be catastrophic to their overall plans.
Toronto needs a backup option. They need to have an idea of what they're going to do if a Siakam trade doesn't materialize. Because right now, they're walking a tightrope and are at risk of falling.
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