Pascal Siakam

Trade rumors involving Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam continue to heat up.

The Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings have been linked to a trade for Siakam this winter, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. However, the Pacers and Kings "appear more vested in the possibility of landing [OG] Anunoby," Fischer added.

Both Siakam and Anunoby have been heavily involved in trade rumors this winter as both are in the final year of their contracts.

The Hawks have been linked to Siakam since before the 2023-24 season. Atlanta attempted to land the veteran over the summer and were willing to give up De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation to land him, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported in August.

Siakam would be an upgrade for the Hawks at forward, especially with Jalen Johnson sidelined with a left wrist fracture, and he would be a solid fit alongside Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela.

The Pacers, meanwhile, have excelled with Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith this season, but with the team in contention to land a playoff spot for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign, it's no surprise they're exploring the possibility of adding Siakam.

Adding Siakam to an Indiana lineup that includes Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner would surely propel the team to a playoff berth.

The Kings have also been solid this year, but adding Siakam alongside De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis could help them make a deep playoff run after being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round last season.

Siakam, who has spent his entire eight-year career in Toronto, is in the midst of another solid season. He's averaging 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 24 games while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 25.3 percent from deep.

The 29-year-old is eligible to sign a four-year, $202.3 million extension. However, he could become eligible for a five-year supermax deal worth roughly $304 million if he makes the All-NBA team this year.

The Toronto Raptors aren't willing to tear it down just yet with a little less than two months left before what could be a pivotal NBA trade deadline, according to Action Network's Matt Moore.

Moore reported the Raptors "are likely to build around" Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby, with Pascal Siakam potentially landing with a team "willing to pay him this summer." Moore questioned, however, whether Siakam's impending free agency and expected contract demands could cool his trade market.

Siakam is an unrestricted free agent, while Anunoby can and presumably will opt out of the $19.9 salary he can collect for next season. That presents a sense of urgency for the front office.

The Raptors are more talented than their 9-14 record and 11th-place position in the Eastern Conference. The trio of Barnes, Siakam and Anunoby is a solid foundation for a contender as well.

From that standpoint, a desire to retool rather than rebuild is understandable.

The trouble is, Toronto has attempted to retool ever since Kawhi Leonard left after the franchise's 2019 NBA Finals triumph. So far, that has netted two playoff trips in four seasons, one ending in the conference semifinals and the other resulting in a first-round exit.

In addition, the Raptors already experienced the dangers of letting a key player hit the open market. Fred VanVleet left to sign with the Houston Rockets over the summer, and his old team was left without the ability to get an adequate replacement. Dennis Schröder came in on a two-year, $25.4 million deal to become the starting point guard.

Both Siakam and Anunoby figure to have robust markets once their contracts expire, so Toronto will have competition.

Siakam is averaging 20.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists, though his three-point shooting (21.2) has noticeably fallen off. Still, he's a two-time All-NBA honoree who, at 29, has plenty of good years left.

Anunoby, meanwhile, continues to be an effective two-way presence. He's shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 1.1 steals.

Trading at least one of Siakam or Anunoby is the most sensible path, and some fans will argue jettisoning both and starting anew is the best long-term play.

If they're intent on building around Barnes and Anunoby, then dealing Siakam before Feb. 8 has to be the move for the Raptors. They can't afford to repeat the mistake of holding onto VanVleet and losing him for nothing.

The Indiana Pacers gave the basketball world a glimpse of the bright future the team has by way of its appearance in the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship game.

To get there, the team knocked off the top four seeds from last year's Eastern Conference playoffs (Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, and Milwaukee) and played the eventual tournament-winning Lakers hard.

It was during that finale, though, that it became clear that the team has a stud point guard in Tyrese Haliburton but lacks a legitimate and consistent No. 2 behind him.

Enter the Toronto Raptors, whose season has not gone according to plan, with a record of 9-14 and no realistic chance of competing for an NBA title this season, and two potential trade pieces in OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam at their disposal.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported, "Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, and Indiana Pacers are expected suitors for Siakam or Anunoby but believe Siakam appears to be the likelier player to be dealt, league sources tell The Athletic."

He continued, "Siakam, 29, is earning $37.9 million in the last year of his Raptors contract this season while Anunoby, 26, has a $19.9 million player option for next season that he will almost assuredly decline to enter free agency."

The power forward Siakam is averaging 20.7 points a game, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 34.4 minutes. Those numbers are all significantly better than what the Pacers are getting out of Obi Toppin this year, with the exception being shooting percentage.

Siakam is a dismal 20.7 from beyond the arc and just 49.7 from the paint while Toppin is shooting 35.7 from the three-point line and 61.1 percent in the paint.

Anunoby is scoring 15.6 a game, with 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and just over a steal at the small forward position. Bruce Brown's numbers are not that far off at 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

Considering Anunoby is likely to elect free agency after the season, it is a tough sell for any team to trade roster depth and potential draft picks for a player who is essentially a rental.

Siakam is also in the final year of his deal but is a player who could come in right away and pay dividends as a complimentary piece to Haliburton.

He still manages to get his points and boards, even if the shooting percentage is not there this season, and averaging nearly five assists per game, can dish the ball and create opportunities for his teammates.

He brings a veteran presence to a locker room that is young, hungry, and looking to establish itself in the same conversation as those teams it defeated in the tournament. Haliburton cannot do it alone and the fact that the Pacers have checked in on both Anunoby and Siakam suggests the front office realizes that.

Acquiring either player will not be easy, especially in the case of Siakam, for whom the Pacers would have to clear some space thanks to his contract ($37,893,408) and their limited cap space ($5,851,626), but the team has proven the ability to compete against the best in the conference and management owes it to the players to put the necessary pieces in place to let them do so.

If the team can acquire either Raptors veteran and do so without gutting the roster or mortgaging its future for a player it could realistically only have for the remainder of this season, Indiana should make it happen and capitalize on the budding star it has in Haliburton, who could very well be for them what the team has not had since the days of Reggie Miller: a franchise centerpiece.

The Toronto Raptors are struggling early in the 2023-14 season, off to a 9-13 start. And that has teams inquiring about players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby ahead of February's NBA trade deadline.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, "Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are expected suitors for Siakam or Anunoby but believe Siakam appears to be the likelier player to be dealt."

The 29-year-old Siakam (20.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.0 APG) and 26-year-old Anunoby (14.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 38.8 percent from three) have attracted the attention of teams like the Hawks, Kings and Pacers for a few reasons.

One, Toronto's struggles. The Raptors are not currently a championship team as constructed and would be better off building around younger talents like Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick. Trading Siakam and/or Anunoby would help them stock up on younger players and draft assets to build a contender around the younger core.

Two, the aforementioned Barnes "has been deemed untouchable in any trade conversations," per Charania, so teams trying to capitalize on the Raptors' struggles this season are going to be steered toward Siakam and Anunoby

Three, Siakam is an unrestricted free agent after the season and Anuoby has a $19.9 million player option he's going to decline, so the Raptors may be inclined to trade the pair rather than risk losing them in free agency, like Fred VanVleet this summer.

And four, both Siakam and Anunoby are very, very good and the trio of teams listed above all have solid rosters that would be seriously bolstered by adding either player. The Hawks already "held intense conversations with the Raptors surrounding a Siakam deal over the offseason," according to Charania, while the Kings and Pacers "both checked in and engaged at different points with Toronto over the last year."

The Hawks (9-12) could use an upgrade at forward and another scoring option behind Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. The Pacers (12-8) have an elite young guard in Tyrese Haliburton but don't have a great No. 2 option behind him. And the Kings (12-8) are led by explosive point guard DeAaron Fox and big man Domantas Sabonis and look ready to make the jump to championship contenders in the West but need another piece to get there.

The two offer a different appeal for teams. Siakam is an excellent scorer who is better cast as a No. 2 or 3 option on an offense rather than his current role as lead scorer in Toronto. And Anunoby is one of the NBA's best 3-and-D wings, a coveted role for championship contenders and one he plays at a high level.

It would be a surprise if both players weren't dealt ahead of February's deadline. The Raptors' current core has maxed out its upside and a soft reset around Barnes is the most logical move going forward.