According to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN, Pascal Siakam didn’t want the Toronto Raptors to trade him to the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings were very interested in acquiring Siakam, who got traded to the Indiana Pacers.
“The Kings did not have the expendable blue-chip young player the Raptors craved in at least one of their trades — eventually Immanuel Quickley — and were not prepared to sacrifice bundles of picks and cap flexibility for an almost-30 so-so shooter in Siakam who might not have wanted to go there, per league sources,” Lowe wrote.
According to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic, Siakam didn’t view the Kings as a good long-term fit. The All-Star forward, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, is widely expected to re-sign with the Pacers.
In 54 games this season with the Raptors and Pacers, Siakam is averaging 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 53.5% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arc and 72.9% from the free-throw line. He’s making $37.9 million.
The Pacers are surprisingly only 7-8 with Siakam in the lineup. They are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with an overall record of 31-25.
An NBA champion, Siakam has career averages of 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks with the Raptors and Pacers. He has made two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams.
Siakam also won the 2018-19 Most Improved Player of the Year Award with the Raptors.
The Kings are in eighth place in the West with a record of 31-23. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in seven games.
Meanwhile, the Raptors are in 12th place in the East with a record of 19-36. The franchise is in rebuild mode.
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