NBA Trade Rumors: Pascal Siakam Eyes Max Contract, Surprises Kings as He…
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is reportedly seeking a max contract this summer in free agency.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Siakam’s desire for a max deal is set regardless of whether he stays in Toronto past February’s trade deadline or is moved to another team.
He has also reportedly expressed the fact he does not see the Sacramento Kings as a “long-term fit.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Kings and Raptors were engaged in talks and a deal looked close for a “hot second” before negotiations stalled. Sacramento reportedly offered Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell and a first-round pick in talks.
It’s unclear if Siakam’s lack of desire to play in Sacramento is what halted negotiations.
Siakam will be 30 when he hits free agency in July and may be in for a rude awakening on the open market.
He is a two-time All-Star who does not look likely to earn a third selection as he turns in a solid-but-unspectacular 2023-24 campaign.
While several teams could use Siakam’s floor spacing and passing at the 4, paying a non-All-Star upwards of $50 million a season isn’t exactly the most enticing proposition.
The number of teams with projected max cap space is also few and far between at this point, so it’s not as if Siakam will have half of the league sitting around with money to blow.
It feels more likely that Siakam will wind up “settling” for a below-max contract, somewhere in the three- or four-year range at $40 million a year.
That’s nothing to scoff at but is evidence of how Siakam’s star has dimmed a bit around the league and is a big reason the Raptors haven’t had teams bowling over them with huge trade offers.
The reported Kings proposal features two overpaid veteran role players in Huerter and Barnes along with a 25-year-old third-year guard averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 assists per game. A future first-round pick from Sacramento has some value, but it’s unlikely that selection came without protections.
At this point, it’s fair to criticize Raptors president Masai Ujiri for overplaying his hand with his trade chips.
The package the New York Knicks sent to Toronto for OG Anunoby paled in comparison to the bevy of first-round picks the Raptors could have gotten in the past, and Ujiri already watched as Fred VanVleet walked in free agency last summer.
A year ago, a Siakam trade may have returned a superstar haul. Instead, Ujiri’s scouring the market for an offer featuring spare parts for a player whose contract demands may be out of line with the market.