The Golden State Warriors will potentially be major players ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline, and one of the stars on their radar will be on the move in the coming weeks.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported on Friday, January 5, that the Toronto Raptors are shopping All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
“League sources expect Toronto to move on from two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam before the trade deadline,” Bontemps wrote on Friday, January 5.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported Friday on 95.7 The Game that he believes Golden State will be active ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.
Golden State needs an influx of talent if the team hopes to compete at the highest levels of the Western Conference. Klay Thompson continues to struggle amid a down season, averaging 5 points per game fewer than last year and a struggling through a considerable dip in field goal shooting percentages across the board.
Meanwhile, Draymond Green has spent more than half of the team’s 34 games on the sideline due to multiple suspensions. Two of the team’s top young players — Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody — have also expressed discontent with their roles throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
Slater wasn’t specific about the exact player he believes the Warriors will target, though multiple NBA analysts have connected the Dubs to Siakam over the past several months.
Siakam can offer Golden State scoring, averaging over 22 points per game in four of the last five seasons, per Basketball Reference. He also rebounds at a reasonable rate, averaging over 7 rebounds per contest in four of the previous five years. At 6-feet, 8-inches tall and 230 pounds, Siakam is also a versatile defender and can add size to a Warriors team that needs more of it.
Siakam is in the final season of a four-year, $137 million contract and fits the bill of a one-year rental, which makes sense for a cap-strapped Golden State team that may attempt to bring Thompson back on a multiyear deal next offseason. Siakam’s cap hit is $38 million, and backup point guard Chris Paul’s salary cap number of $31 million is enough to get the Warriors into the ballpark salary range to get a deal done under the NBA’s trade rules.
Golden State will also need to include assets beyond just Paul’s expiring contract. Considering his discontent with the franchise, Kuminga makes sense as a trade chip. The Warriors also have a 2028 first-round pick to trade and could add a protection up to a pick somewhere between No. 5 and No. 10.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday that the Sacramento Kings, a local rival of the Warriors, have emerged as suitors for Siakam, though that doesn’t mean Golden State won’t also put in an offer.
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