Trade Rumor: Pascal Siakam Won't Commit to Any Team; Can Mavs Beat Pacers' Offer?
The NBA trade deadline, which arrives on Feb. 8, is setting up to be a good one, and the weird situation between Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors is adding to the drama.
There are several layers to the Siakam saga. On one hand, it definitely seems like he'd prefer to stay in Toronto. However, the Raptors are moving into a new, younger rebuilding era with Scottie Barnes being the face of the franchise, and they might not want to pay Siakam the full-term max contract he'll be seeking this summer.
Because Siakam apparently would prefer staying in Toronto, several reports have stated that the two-time All-Star won't commit to re-sign with any team that might trade for him. This creates an awkward situation, though, as doing such a thing hurts his trade value, especially since he's on an expiring contract and could walk for nothing this summer.
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“[Siakam] will not give a verbal commitment whatsoever… with the Pacers, the Hawks, the Kings, the Warriors or any other team that trades for him," Action Network's Matt Moore reported. "He wants to test out free agency.”
The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the handful of teams that have been linked to Siakam in recent weeks, and despite not having the best trade packages to offer the Raptors, it was reasonable to think there was a chance Dallas could land him given his reluctance to commit to re-signing after a trade. But if the Indiana Pacers' reported offer is true, the Mavs might have to look elsewhere for their upgraded starting power forward.
"The Raptors and Pacers are actively engaged in trade talks centered around two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam that would send him to Indiana for a package that includes Bruce Brown Jr., other salaries and three first-round draft picks, league sources tell The Athletic," Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported.
"The Raptors have been engaged in discussions with several teams on a potential Siakam deal, but conversations with the Pacers have gained steam in recent days, those sources say. Sources briefed on the talks between the two teams say that there have been several back-and-forth proposals made. While the two sides have been described as being far along in the process, according to those sources, they have yet to finalize or agree to a deal."
The Mavs were once again mentioned as a team with "exploratory interest" in Siakam in this latest report, but if the draft compensation bar is set at three first-round picks, Dallas isn't going to be able to pull that off. And given how the Mavs have been able to scrap together a 24-17 record at the halfway mark despite being one of the most injured teams in the league this season, there's no reason to leverage the future for a trade that could ultimately end up being just a six-month rental.
If Siakam ends up no longer being an option for the Mavs, there are still several power forwards they could try to go after, including Portland Trail Blazers' Jerami Grant, Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma, Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, Charlotte Hornets' P.J. Washington to name a few.
Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com in the coming days and weeks as more Mavs trade-related news surfaces.
