After over a year of speculation regarding the future of star forward Pascal Siakam, the Toronto Raptors finally made a decision to part ways with the two-time NBA All-Star on Wednesday.
The Raptors agreed to a blockbuster deal with the upstart Indiana Pacers, with Toronto receiving multiple draft picks and Bruce Brown Jr. as the core part of the trade in exchange for Siakam.
As a result of the Raptors finally moving on from Siakam, only one player on the roster remains from the team that won it all in 2018-19.
According to Sportsnet, Chris Boucher is the last man left standing in Toronto who was part of that magical team led by Kawhi Leonard, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, and Siakam to the franchise’s first and only NBA title.
With Pascal Siakam gone, Chris Boucher is the last player from the 2019 NBA Championship-winning team that’s still with the Raptors. pic.twitter.com/wxJ1dsenVL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 17, 2024
This is a sad day for the franchise because the roster looks so much different than it did when Toronto took down the star-studded Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
However, Toronto now has a chance to rebuild and get back to its former glory, with the squad looking completely different while stacked with promising young talent.
Along with the addition of Brown, the Raptors have quite a few players to build around, including Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Gradey Dick.
At this point, there’s no telling when the Raptors will be relevant again in the Eastern Conference, but the rebuild has officially begun, and they seem to be off to a good start with a potentially promising future ahead in Toronto.
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Breaking: Raptors Finalizing Pascal Siakam Trade