Trade chatter around Pascal Siakam increasing

My read is that the Raptors, in the wake of Fred VanVleet’s free agent departure to Houston, are eager to give even more runway to Scottie Barnes and O.G. Anunoby to expand their offensive purview under new coach Darko Rajaković. Barnes and Anunoby are 21 and 25; VanVleet and Siakam are both 29. -via marcstein.substack.com / July 10, 2023

As for if, when or where Siakam might be traded? Per league sources, the Raptors are still listening, trying to gauge the market value for their leading scorer and leading returning – in theory – playmaker. Atlanta remains a possibility and Indiana has also reached out.  The Raptors don’t intend to drag the process out for weeks or months, but they don’t seem ready to close the door on a Siakam trade just yet. Meanwhile, they still remain committed to avoiding a total rebuild — in other words, nothing they do or don’t do with Siakam will make them any more inclined to trade O.G. Anunoby, the 25-year-old all-NBA defender who also has one year left on his deal. Teams are welcome to call about Anunoby, but don’t expect a call back — that’s the message. -via SportsNet / July 10, 2023

For the Raptors, the most notable absence all weekend has been Pascal Siakam, the Raptors All-Star forward who has been featured in trade rumours for the past few weeks.  No one wants to go on the record as to why Siakam has stayed away, but it seems reasonable to guess that since the Raptors have yet to discuss a contract extension, and instead Siakam has been prominently featured in trade talks, he isn’t all that keen to be on-site in Vegas. After all, it would be awkward cheering on Raptors’ prospects only to learn he’s being dealt the next day, or whatever. Siakam is coming off a season in which he averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists, and the 29-year-old Siakam is eligible for as much as $192 million over four years on a deal that would kick in for the 2024-25 season. -via SportsNet / July 10, 2023