Trio of playoff teams linked to Pascal Siakam after Raptors trade

The sharks are officially circling the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto sent shockwaves around the NBA by sending forward OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks this weekend as part of a blockbuster trade. The move seemingly indicates that the Raptors plan to kick off a rebuild.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reported Saturday that league personnel are now prepared for a Toronto trade of big man Pascal Siakam to follow suit. Fischer notes that the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers are three teams being mentioned in connection with Siakam.

The 29-year-old Siakam, a two-time All-NBA selection, is the Raptors’ best remaining veteran trade asset. He is averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season, making him a marquee option at the power forward spot. 

But Siakam will a free agent after the season, meaning that Toronto should trade him now to avoid losing him for nothing.

Sacramento, Atlanta and Indiana are all playoff hopefuls that could stand to upgrade from their current rotation of 4s (Harrison Barnes/Keegan Murray, Jalen Johnson/Saddiq Bey and Jalen Smith/Obi Toppin, respectively). But of those teams, history suggests that there may be one clear frontrunner.