Kings Reporter Shares Insight Into Pascal Siakam Trade Talks
Pascal Siakam’s upcoming free agency appears to be complicating trade talks for the Toronto Raptors. Talks with the Sacramento Kings over the weekend reportedly began to fall apart after Siakam told the Kings he wouldn’t re-sign in Sacramento over the summer, Damien Barling said on ESPN 1320 Sacramento.
If Siakam wasn’t willing to re-sign, the Kings wouldn’t pay Toronto’s asking price, and talks between the teams ended.
“If he’s not interested in signing here the conversation is over,” Kings reporter James Ham told the D-Lo & KC show. This has been the looming issue over Siakam’s trade value as the two-time All-Star forward essentially has a no-trade clause because of his upcoming free agency.
Rival teams are unlikely to make Toronto a huge offer for Siakam if they’re not sure he’s going to stick around on a new contract.
The Raptors could have avoided this issue by signing Siakam to an extension over the summer but opted to prioritize flexibility over long-term control. While Toronto can still offer Siakam an extension worth up to four years, $192 million at any point this season, he’ll be ineligible to be traded for six months following the extension.
Toronto has reportedly received trade interest from multiple teams for Siakam. The Indiana Pacers have been one of the teams most often connected to Siakam in trade talks.
It’s unclear, however, if Siakam would be willing to sign with the Pacers. Sacramento’s offer for Siakam reportedly centered around 31-year-old Harrison Barnes, according to Shams Charania. It’s unclear what else would have been in the package for Siakam.
