Draft Picks Will be Key to Pascal Siakam Trade

Raptors’ forward Pascal Siakam is one of the hottest names on the NBA trade market.

And at 6-foot-9 with premier two-way ability and a proven track record of winning basketball, he very well should be.

But it won’t be easy to pry him away from the Toronto Raptors, who could be looking to move in a different direction with young players like Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick and more.

In order to land Siakam’s talents, the suitor is going to have to dish out draft picks. And a decent amount of them at that.

Today, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Atlanta has offered a package centered around De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and “draft compensation” for Siakam. It wasn’t specified how much, but it’s almost a certainty that multiple selections are involved.

Essentially the NBA’s currency, picks helps teams looking for a fresh start in a variety of ways. They can help to facilitate deals or add players in order to land more talent. Or, if you trust your front office and its evaluations, they can simply be used to acquire young talent in hopes of developing it.

The Raptors could be looking to do either. Retooling around 22-year-old Barnes, who wowed as the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award winner, and has the capability to handle and facilitate, would make plenty of sense.

A ground up rebuild involving the offloading of even more veterans and opting towards building another core through trade acquisitions and the NBA Draft would also make sense, if the team felt they were further away from contention than they'd like.

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