One Eastern Conference Team Finally Tops The Chart For Pascal Siakam Trade…
The Toronto Raptors may have picked up a win against the Charlotte Hornets thanks to a combined 49 points from Scottie Barnes and NBA trade deadline grand prize Pascal Siakam, but they are likely not going to be dissuaded from their goal of moving him based on one or two games.
Toronto will likely try to look out West to find a suitor for Siakam, as moving him to a team they see frequently could come back to bite them in the rear end if the package doesn’t amount to much of anything. Still, such a move shouldn’t necessarily be discouraged if that is where the best return package lies.
Siakam is not only a proven scorer and defender with tremendous versatility and championship experience, but the team who trades for him may not have to sign over the rest of their future to acquire him thanks to his impending free agency. The market will be robust, to say the least.
These three Eastern Conference teams could all make serious runs at Siakam and see their site for a star eventually sated if they can get the notoriously stingy Masai Ujiri on the phone and convince him to part with one of the greatest players in franchise history.
The Hawks and Raptors have identical records, though the vibes around Atlanta are putrid right now. The Hawks have lost eight of their last 11 games, with their two most recent wins coming against the Raptors (who beat them handily in this stretch also) and a terrible Pistons vying for a losing streak record.
The Hawks have been connected to Siakam for the longest time, as they have engaged in formal conversations over the Cameroonian star. While their best young players haven’t played well this season, the Raptors will still likely move heaven and earth for even a chance at getting some of them
Even with AJ Griffin failing to take a gargantuan step forward and the injury problems top pick Kobe Bufkin has had, the Hawks would still find it hard to surrender that much talent. With an extra pick this year thanks to the Sacramento Kings, the Raptors could get multiple firsts for Siakam.