Suns Rival Pursuing Pascal Siakam

Former All-NBA Toronto Raptors F Pascal Siakam appears to be on his way out of Toronto after spending the first 7 1/2 seasons of his career up north.

Bleacher Report/NBA on TNT's Chris Haynes reported earlier today the Raptors and Siakam are poised for a breakup - and the multi-time all star is very likely to be moved ahead of the trade deadline.

The Raptors and Pascal Siakam are the on the verge of parting ways

(Via @ChrisBHaynes) pic.twitter.com/A0peyw3jIs
— Dime Alerts (@DimeAlerts) January 12, 2024

Several teams have been linked to Siakam, from the Sacramento Kings (who backed out of trade talks) to the Indiana Pacers (who are reportedly unwilling to include rookie F Jarace Walker in a trade package).

While the Dallas Mavericks have been recently linked to Siakam and a "surprise team" such as the Chicago Bulls could move in in trade conversations according to Yahoo's Jake Fischer - there's been one franchise in particular that has been frequently seen as an ideal landing spot for the All-Star:

The Golden State Warriors.

It's quite obvious the Raptors have finally lost patience in trying to make things work with the same squad - and they're now trying to shake things up. That was made clear when R.J. Barrett/Immanuel Quickly were acquired from the New York Knicks in the O.G. Anunoby trade.

The proposition of sending Siakam to the Bay Area wouldn't be much different.

Siakam could provide the Warriors with a co-star to take stress off of Stephen Curry, as he could also be a player that integrates into coach Steve Kerr's system quite easily.

The Raptors could also potentially choose to bring in either Andrew Wiggins or Klay Thompson in a trade to match salaries - Wiggins if Toronto wishes to try to revitalize the former All-Star following a year-plus slump or Thompson if they wish to take on an expiring salary that would be cleared from the books this summer.

Toronto would also likely get at least one (perhaps more) of the Warriors' young pieces. Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Moses Moody are all options.

Golden State would also almost assuredly have to include some draft capital as Toronto would have the leverage here, as there will be more than one team bidding for Siakam's services and the Raptors could simply opt to take the best offer.

A Warriors move for Siakam would be the clearest signifier that they are truly trying to maximize the final years of Curry's prime rather than reset.

With uncertain futures surrounding longtime stars in Draymond Green, Thompson and Kerr (in a contract year) combined with how much young players can truly grow in Golden State - this truly feels like a last-ditch effort by a desperate front office that can see the writing on the wall.

Siakam is certainly a great player and would fit well with Golden State, but a costly move such as that may not see a reasonable return on investment. The Warriors seem like an early playoff exit this season even with a splash move.

Suns fans should continue to keep a close eye on this situation regardless of the outcome as another Western Conference rival could potentially swoop in and acquire Siakam's services as well.