Raptors must not put off decision on Pascal Siakam

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Nearly three weeks ago, as NBA free agency and the draft closed in, we outlined three pathways the Raptors could take this off-season.

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There was the Run it Back option, which meant re-signing likely fee agents Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl and Gary Trent Jr. and hanging on to the other key players. An alternative we dubbed The Hokey Pokey, because the Raptors would be putting one foot in and another out by letting one or two members of the core go. Finally, there was The Full Monty, letting at least two of the aforementioned trio go elsewhere and also dealing either Pascal Siakam or O.G. Anunoby.

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The off-season is a long way from being over of course, but it appears the Raptors are doing the Hokey Pokey, whether that was Plan A or not. VanVleet officially signed his massive new deal with the Houston Rockets on Friday, putting a bow on his time with the only NBA franchise he’s known. Before that, Trent surprisingly decided to opt into the final year of his deal, thus putting off free agency until next season, with a chance, according to multiple reports, that a long-term deal with the Raptors will be worked out before then.

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The team pivoted to sign veteran point guard Dennis Schroder, who is coming off a strong second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, young forward Jalen McDaniels and worked out a long-term deal with its starting centre, Poeltl.

Smooth shooting Gradey Dick was selected 13th overall out of Kansas and was expected to make his summer league debut in Las Vegas on Friday night. The front office and new coach Darko Rajakovic will also keep a close eye there on guard Markquis Nowell, former two-way player Ron Harper Jr., and Joe Wieskamp, who still has a shot at making the team. There’s still a hope that this year Otto Porter Jr., last year’s big free agent signing, might be able to stay healthy and make some sort of a contribution, but there’s also a lot of roster duplication with Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, Christian Koloko and Thad Young all battling for minutes up front beyond Siakam and Poeltl, barring further changes. And oh yes, what of Siakam? The two-time All-NBA forward is understandably in demand, but it remains to be seen if Toronto actually prefers to deal him or sign him to a new mega-extension and whether there’s even an offer out there that the Raptors would accept should they opt to move on from the team’s best player and build around former rookie of the year Scottie Barnes.

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The roster won’t stay static from here, given the logjam up front we mentioned. It’s just a matter of when further tinkering happens. Clarity must be found and roadblocks removed so youngsters can be developed. Anunoby needs to be kept happy since he’s only a year out from free agency and a big new contract of his own.

It’s also possible the front office, as it loves to do, punts these decisions down the line. That would be a mistake, and it goes against what Masai Ujiri has said about believing there are better deal options in the summer than at the trade deadline.

The Raptors can’t be in the same situation in 2023-24 as the previous season. They can’t be pondering deals at the deadline, or, worse yet, at risk of losing Siakam and/or Anunoby for nothing next July 1.

There’s tough calls to be made, but they must be made soon. The work is far from done. Failing to act will only make the job harder down the line.

@WolstatSun

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