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Raptors shot down underwhelming trade offer for Siakam: report

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Aug 8 2023, 4:05 pm
Raptors shot down underwhelming trade offer for Siakam: report
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Surprise, surprise: the Toronto Raptors didn’t like a trade offer coming their way.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the Raptors had “fluid and ongoing” discussions with the Atlanta Hawks at Las Vegas Summer League centred around Pascal Siakam, although it seems like Toronto wasn’t exactly thrilled with the offer.

“Atlanta has offered a package centered around De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation to Toronto for Siakam, league sources say. But the Raptors are believed to have upped the price on any possible deal at each turn,” Charania wrote today. “For now, talks are at a complete pause, and the Hawks are fully prepared to enter the 2023-24 season with their current team, according to league sources.”

Hunter, a 25-year-old forward who was the fourth pick in the 2019 draft, averaged 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 68 games in 2022-23. Meanwhile, Griffin averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 72 regular-season games in his rookie season last year after the 19-year-old guard was taken 16th overall out of Duke in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Hawks and an unnamed team were trying to acquire Siakam in a trade earlier this summer, according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer back on June 22.

Siakam, who averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 71 games last season, isn’t keen on leaving Toronto, with one year left on his contract at a figure of $37.8 million. According to Charania, the team has yet to engage with Siakam with “substantive conversations” around an extension that would be expected to come in at four years and at least $192 million.

In June, NBA insider Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report also reported that Siakam would not re-sign with a team that attempts to trade for him because he prefers to remain with the Raptors.

For now, it seems like the most likely outcome that Siakam and the Raptors will head into next season continuing their partnership, especially if the front office isn’t exactly being budged by the trade offers they’ve seen.

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