Old friend Kawhi Leonard signed an extension with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, agreeing to a three-year, $152.4 million deal with the team. Good for him. Good for the Clippers. Good for everybody.
As the fates would have it, the news broke a few hours before the Clippers were set to host Leonard’s former team, the Toronto Raptors, on Wednesday night. So nice that the two sides could reach a deal so easily.
The Clippers still have to deal with Paul George, while the Raptors have their own upcoming free-agent quandary in the form of Pascal Siakam. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season. The assumption, especially after the OG Anunoby trade, is the Raptors will look to move him before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Siakam being in the last year of his contract is the problematic part. Over the offseason, word spread that Siakam would not sign an extension with any team that trades for him. Nobody has ever confirmed that, but teams interested in Siakam are going to be understandably cautious in giving up too much for him, who could leave for another team a few months later. Intriguing, competitive teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers could lurk with plenty of cap space.
Before the season, I predicted Siakam would not sign an extension during the season with the Raptors, but that he would end up staying with the Raptors after the season. Given the reality of the above paragraph and Siakam’s reasonable fit (and excellent play) after the trade, I’m starting to question that. Would something like Siakam’s guaranteed max over three years, projected to be around $138.3 million, with a partial guarantee in the fourth year, get the deal done? The cap gymnastics might become difficult when factoring in Immanuel Quickley’s coming extension and what waits a year later for Scottie Barnes, but Siakam is a really good player who can help the Raptors win and maybe eventually bring something more back to the Raptors than he can right now. More and more, it seems like something worth exploring, especially if teams aren’t making significant offers for Siakam now.
To that end, I contacted six writers at The Athletic to talk about potential Siakam trades. For clarity’s sake, I told them all that Siakam would not sign an extension with their teams during this season, as he wants to explore free agency. However, he would be open-minded about staying where he is dealt, and all things being equal, a strong monetary offer would rule the day.
Indiana Pacers
To Indiana: Siakam
To Toronto: Benedict Mathurin: Jarace Walker, Buddy Hield, better of Indiana or Oklahoma City 2024 first-round picks
Indiana’s take: I would be shocked if Indiana agreed to pay this high a price for Siakam, particularly if there is no agreement ahead of time on his future in Indiana. The Pacers could always just decline Bruce Brown’s option and try to sign him outright in free agency this summer. Certainly, it seems unlikely they would include their last two lottery picks and then throw in another first on top of it. — John Hollinger
The counter
To Indiana: Siakam
To Toronto: Better of own and Oklahoma City 2024 first-round picks, top-four protected; Obi Toppin, Jordan Nwora and Bruce Brown.
Toronto’s take: Cap relief and a middling first-rounder in a bad draft? That’s a no.
To Brooklyn: Siakam and Jalen McDaniels
To Toronto: Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O’Neale, Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, best 2027 first-round pick between Philadelphia (top-eight protected) and Phoenix (adding top-four protection)
Toronto’s take: The Nets have no players the Raptors would covet, but Claxton and Thomas are both nice players in their early-to-mid 20’s. Without a stud player, the Raptors would need some draft compensation, too. The Nets’ future picks situation, you might have heard, is complicated.
Brooklyn’s take: While the Nets can surely weather the loss of the players going out to Toronto in this offer, it’s the pick that gets them to say no. With no guarantee Siakam would sign, and the presumption it would take a significant contract to get him to stay, this deal would ask the Nets to give up a valuable future draft pick and a lot of cap flexibility if they re-sign Siakam in the future. Since there’s a good chance they could just try for Siakam in free agency, why give up the pick? — Mike Vorkunov
The counter
To Brooklyn: Siakam, Thaddeus Young, Otto Porter Jr., Chris Boucher and McDaniels
To Toronto: Ben Simmons, Dorian Finney-Smith, O’Neale and Claxton
Toronto’s take: I like both Finney-Smith and O’Neale as players, but they’re both about to turn 30. Getting Claxton would be neat, but it’s not enough for the honour of paying the final $55 million, give or take, of Simmons’ contract. (By the time Simmons’ contract’s extension expires in 2025, the Raptors will be paying all of Barnes, Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl north of $19.5 million, meaning the path to cap space would be difficult.)
To Detroit: Siakam
To Toronto: Jaden Ivey, Joe Harris, James Wiseman and 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected)
Toronto’s take: Honestly, with Quickley now a Raptor, I’m not sure the Raptors should be trying to do something like this. Just in terms of a pure exchange of assets, though, getting a high-lottery pick from 2022 and another potentially good pick in 2026 seems like something worth exploring, even if the fit isn’t ideal. Harris and Wiseman’s contracts both expire at the end of the season.
Detroit’s Take: Ultimately, the uncertainty of Siakam’s future, I believe, would keep Detroit out of the running. The Pistons would need a guarantee the forward would sign a contract this summer to give up some of the few assets they have, like Ivey and a first. If this team had more than three wins, maybe it’s a conversation. However, this team is down so bad I don’t think it can afford a gamble like this. The Pistons need to save their limited ammo on someone who comes with team control. So, yeah, Detroit says no to this, even if it pains everyone involved. (No counter-offer made in deference to Siakam’s skills and Detroit’s situation.) — James Edwards III
Oklahoma City Thunder
To Oklahoma City: Siakam
To Toronto: Dāvis Bertāns, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Houston 2024 first-round pick (protected top-four) and better of 2025 Miami (protected 1-14, unprotected in 2026) or Philadelphia (protected top-four) first-round picks
Toronto’s take: The Thunder are really good. The Thunder have many good young players — too many, even. The presence of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren means the Thunder have a huge championship window, and they won’t have to start paying Williams and Holmgren their second contracts until 2026-27. Dort is a Canadian — yay! — and a tenacious defender on the perimeter. Wallace is a fascinating rookie who seems happy in any role. The Thunder won’t even feel the loss of those picks. There is plenty of room to negotiate, given the Thunder’s assets, so I thought I’d be aggressive in my first ask.
Oklahoma City’s take: Oklahoma City is going to remain patient heading into the trade deadline. Giving up a starter, a young prospect and two first-round picks for a player that is on an expiring contract is an easy “no” from the Thunder’s standpoint. I understand it doesn’t include Shai, Chet, JDub, or Josh Giddey, but the price is pretty steep for a player who is unlikely to re-sign with OKC. The other big factor is age and Pascal’s next contract. The Thunder will be expensive soon, and having a 30-plus-year-old player on a large deal isn’t exactly going to make keeping all the young guys any easier. I also question whether Siakam would want to be the fourth banana on this young Thunder squad. — Andrew Schlecht
The counter
To Oklahoma City: Siakam
To Toronto: Bertāns, Dort, Houston 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected)
Oklahoma City’s take: That probably makes it tough to accept for Toronto. OKC is in a position of strength, and in a position where they don’t need to make a move. If OKC does something big at the deadline, I’d expect it to not involve any of the core rotation players and for the incoming player to not be expecting a big payday on the other side. — Schlecht
Toronto’s take: Honestly, if the Raptors are feeling really unsure of their ability to retain Siakam, they could do worse than Dort and an OK first-rounder. It’s not a home run, but that’s the position they’re in. I’d lean toward no, but this isn’t nothing.
To Dallas: Siakam
To Toronto: Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, 2025 second-round pick (originally belonging to Toronto), 2026 first-round pick
Toronto’s take: The Mavericks are hamstrung by a lack of tradeable picks. I imagine Dereck Lively II is off limits, and the Mavericks’ other prospects are flawed. However, I wanted to kick the tires on something, because they aren’t barren or anything. Williams is a solid rotation piece on a reasonable contract who could give the Raptors some of what they lost when they moved Anunoby. Green has flashed in the past and is about to start a reasonable three-year deal. Prosper is Canadian — yay! — and the best version of him would be a malleable fit down the road. Finally, two picks are two more picks than they had beforehand. Ultimately, the Raptors would try to extend Siakam before agreeing to this trade, but let’s see where this goes. (Due to the poison pill provision in Green’s contract, this trade would put the Raptors over the luxury-tax threshold. The Raptors would be unlikely to want to stay there, so they would have to find a way to send out more salary in this trade or another.)
Dallas’s take: While the team’s confidence in re-signing him must factor into this, Dallas would take this offer. Siakam has shown this season he can move into the role of a finisher — more than half of his 2s are assisted this year, the most since his second year in the league — and what the Mavericks need next to its Luka Dončić–Kyrie Irving pairing is one more star willing to make that Aaron Gordon-esque transformation. Lively isn’t available; Dallas wants to hang onto Derrick Jones Jr. and Dante Exum. But for someone like Siakam, everyone else would be made available. While Dallas likes Green and Prosper’s potential, the former has struggled to find his place within Dončić and Irving’s ball dominance and the latter is too raw right now. Dallas might ask to swap Richaun Holmes in for Williams, but if Toronto would consider this deal, Dallas would almost certainly say yes. — Tim Cato
To Golden State: Siakam
To Toronto: Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, 2026 and 2028 first-round picks
Toronto’s take: The Warriors are a mess, as Raptors fans saw Sunday night. If they want to give the Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson/Draymond Green trio another shot, something like this — a big, expensive swing — might be required. The deal for the Raptors is about Kuminga, who is right on Barnes’ timeline. There are some overlapping skills, but Kuminga projects to being more of a play-finisher than an initiator. Barnes, of course, can do a bit of everything. Getting salary relief in Paul’s non-guaranteed deal for next year is a bonus.
Golden State’s take: Let’s start here: These teams have discussed Siakam in recent weeks. I’ve heard that on a more substantial level and saw Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Masai Ujiri in the tunnel pregame on Sunday night having a drawn-out conversation. So there’s something potentially there. I’d wager the Warriors view that proposal — Kuminga, two firsts and a valuable expiring salary — as too steep. Paul’s contract is useful for them because they’re trying to duck the second apron this summer and Siakam, if acquired, would presumably be ticketed as an expensive part of their future. — Anthony Slater
The counter
To Golden State: Siakam
To Toronto: Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, 2026 first-round pick
Golden State’s take: They value Kuminga highly. But perhaps the Raptors would demand him or nothing gets done. — Slater
Toronto’s take: What my esteemed colleague said. There might be room to mess around elsewhere, but without Kuminga, I don’t see a trade.
(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
