Last season, most people around the NBA thought the Toronto Raptors were going to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
They wound up being buyers instead, trading for Jakob Poeltl and refusing to move any of their many potential trade candidates.
That decision was costly, as they lost Fred VanVleet for nothing, and they may have learned from that mistake.
With that in mind, and despite all the league-wide skepticism about Masai Ujiri actually looking to dump some talent, Matt Moore of the Action Network recently reported that the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Philadelphia 76ers (in a multi-team trade) have all been linked with a move for Pascal Siakam:
“There was a lot of chuckling when I brought up reporting out of Toronto that the Raptors were exploring deals for Pascal Siakam. ‘Tell me one I haven’t heard.’ ‘Oh, I love this song!’ ‘Fool me twice, Shame on Masai (Ujiri).’ These were among the comments. Nevertheless, the Hawks, Thunder, and Sixers (in a multi-team trade) were among those mentioned as possible landing spots if Toronto does actually move the All-NBA forward,” wrote Moore.
Observations and thoughts on
Dame, non-Wemby Summer League standouts, and some chuckling about “no seriously, the Raptors are gonna make a trade” https://t.co/715BfKnzaz— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 13, 2023
Siakam has been involved in trade rumors for years now but to no avail.
The Cameroonian forward/center could certainly be of use to multiple teams, including those mentioned in this rumor.
The Hawks recently parted ways with John Collins in a salary-dumping move, so they have a huge vacant spot at the four that Siakam could fill right away.
The Thunder have a plethora of young athletes and have added plenty of length to their lineup, and pairing Siakam with Chet Holmgren might not be the craziest idea, especially defensively.
The Sixers are also looking to add more firepower with or without James Harden, and he has obvious ties to Joel Embiid, so this would also make some sense.
Now, whether Ujiri will be actually willing to make a deal and take a reasonable offer for Siakam remains to be seen.
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The Pacers Are Reportedly Discussing A Trade For Pascal Siakam