The Sacramento Kings reportedly would still trade for Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam even if he weren’t to commit to staying with the franchise long term.
Siakam is in the last season of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason. The Kings reportedly may not be willing to give up as many assets for him without a commitment that he’s going to stay long term.
“My understanding is that the Kings would still trade for Siakam even without the assurance that he’d re-sign, but his lack of commitment certainly changes the assets they’d be willing to give up alongside Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote. “Odds are, the Kings would get outbid by a team that’s more optimistic that Siakam would stick around past this season.”
The Raptors have already made one major move this season, shipping off forward O.G. Anunoby to the New York Knicks in a deal that brought guard Immanuel Quickley and wing RJ Barrett to Toronto.
If the team doesn’t plan on keeping Siakam for the long haul, it would make sense to trade him during the 2023-24 season.
The Kings, who earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season, could form a Big 3 with De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Siakam – if they make a deal with Toronto.
However, as O’Connor noted, the team may have a hard time landing the two-time All-Star from Toronto, as other teams may be willing to make bigger offers if they think he will stay with them beyond the 2023-24 season.
This season, Siakam is averaging 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc.
He’d certainly give another dynamic to the Kings roster, as the team currently relies on guard Malik Monk and forward Keegan Murray – along with Huerter and Barnes – as the third scoring option on many nights behind Sabonis and Fox.
The Kings are currently the No. 6 seed in the West, but they’ve lost back-to-back games. The team is just five games behind the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Kings approach the Siakam trade market ahead of the trade deadline next month.
