Atlanta Hawks will have to offer more if they want Pascal Siakam from Raptors

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If the Atlanta Hawks really want to add Pascal Siakam to an offence that already features Trae Young, it appears the Georgia outfit will have to try a little harder to entice the Raptors.

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Talks between the clubs have reportedly gone nowhere since June, with the Athletic reporting this week a package headlined by young sharpshooter A.J. Griffin and 25-year-old veteran De’Andre Hunter, plus “draft compensation,” which could come in all kinds of permutations and doesn’t give a clear sense of the offer, had not gained traction. The report had talks at “a complete pause.”

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Siakam, twice an All-NBA forward and entering the final year of his contract with the Raptors, does not have a no-trade clause, but does have a say in where he ends up if moved by Toronto because reports say he has made it clear he will not agree to an extension with a new team.

That complicates matters because most teams would be leery to empty their war chest without knowing their target will be around for the long run. Mega-deals of the last half-decade or so have mostly sent stars to new homes they intended to play in for a while. Kawhi Leonard to Toronto being the glaring exception.

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Atlanta has been after Siakam since early 2023, but this framework centred around Hunter, the No. 4 pick of the 2019 draft, and Griffin, the talented second-year son of former Raptors lead assistant Adrian Griffin, plus whatever picks the Hawks are dangling, has not been enough for Toronto. Griffin is a definite talent and Hunter led Virginia to an NCAA title and is under contract at a reasonable rate for a while, but one would think the Raptors want rookie guard Kobe Bufkin, who recently became trade eligible. Bufkin was strongly considered by Toronto at 13 in June’s NBA Draft, but Gradey Dick ended up being the choice. The club remains high on the Michigan product and he would strengthen Toronto’s weak guard crop. If Atlanta intends to form a Big Three around Young, newly re-signed guard Dejounte Murray and Siakam, Bufkin should not be the sticking point to closing a deal.

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It gets trickier if Toronto is also insisting on a bevy of first-round draft picks. Without Siakam committing, Atlanta has to straddle a line. How much risk is new general manager Landry Fields, a smart ex-Raptor who went to Stanford, willing to take so early in his tenure in charge? That said, it’s been noted more than once that ownership doesn’t stay in the background in Atlanta. If Tony Ressler and his son want Siakam, it will happen. It’s also possible the Resslers might get spooked by Masai Ujiri and company’s demands, the way another aggressive owner, New York’s James Dolan, did in the past.

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This is a rare quiet time in the NBA calendar, but if Damian Lillard gets traded, expect other talks, including those surrounding Siakam, to also pick back up.

If not, it could be an interesting training camp in Toronto. Fred VanVleet is in Texas and Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. could also be somewhere else a year from now, if not sooner. Each are currently set to become unrestricted free agents next summer. Trent and Toronto could come to an agreement on an extension, but Anunoby should command far more on the open market than he’s eligible for on an extension of his own. With new possibilities potentially opening up after this season, Siakam (and Anunoby, who isn’t on the trade block) don’t have incentives to help the Raptors now.

Which means the waiting game likely continues.

@WolstatSun

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