The Pascal Siakam trade rumors are non-stop.
There is a lot of speculation that the Raptors forward will be moved in the coming weeks before the Feb. trade deadline.
There are many teams who have shown interest in the two-time All-Star.
The Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers are “prime teams” to pursue Siakam at the trade deadline or in the offseason when he hits unrestricted free agency, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Haynes also said that it is expected that Siakam and the Raptors will part ways before the trade deadline.
The 76ers will have a max contract slot this summer. So they could look to add a third star to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Siakam played for and won a championship under Nick Nurse with the Raptors in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Pacers will reportedly have the cap space to sign him as well. Since the Pacers can simply wait until the summer to sign Siakam if they choose to, this might hurt the Raptors chances of getting a deal done with Indiana.
Siakam paired with Tyrese Haliburton would create a lethal duo in the East. Siakam is turning 30-years-old this year, but he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Right now Siakam is the hottest name on the trade market and if a trade doesn’t happen he will be the biggest name in unrestricted free agency.
The Raptors will have to navigate this situation properly. The team is reportedly not close to an extension with Siakam and they also don’t want to lose him for nothing as they did with Fred VanVleet.
Pacers legitimate threat to sign Siakam this summer
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers are an interesting team because they’ll have cap space to sign Siakam so they wouldn’t necessarily have to trade their young pieces for him.
The Raptors are reportedly seeking Bennedict Mathurin or Jarace Walker in a deal for Siakam.
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