NBA
Reports say that the LA Clippers were interested in trading for Toronto’s Pascal Siakam at the past trade deadline
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated06 Jul 2023
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors nearly all season long. Recently, reports said that Siakam and former Raptor Fred VanVleet were upset with the team’s younger players. VanVleet left in free agency this offseason and Siakam is heading into the final season of his four-year deal. League sources have said that the LA Clippers reportedly wanted to trade for Siakam at last season’s deadline.
The 2019 NBA champion declined a contract extension in 2022. He clearly wants to test the waters and see what other teams might offer him. With VanVleet gone, the Raptor’s championship core is starting to diminish. Nick Nurse was fired this offseason but quickly was hired as Philadelphia’s new head coach.
Only Siakam and a handful of players still remain from that 2019 championship roster. With the state of the team, Siakam could be serious about leaving the team via unrestricted free agency after next season.
The Clippers have shown interest in Pascal Siakam, per @ZachLowe_NBA pic.twitter.com/h2JS2yNJj1
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 6, 2023
Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors for nearly the entire offseason
ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the Raptors may have missed their chance to sell high on Pascal Siakam. The price for star players has dropped since the league’s new CBA took place. Most franchisees are trying to stay far away from that second luxury tax apron.
If Siakam doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, Siakam will be the subject of in-season trade rumors once again. For the past two seasons, the 29-year-old has led the NBA in minutes per game. Siakam has been Toronto’s best player for the past few seasons.
He averaged a career-high (24.2) points and (5.8) assists per game last season. Zach Lowe said the Clippers were absolutely interested in Siakam. However, he doesn’t know what the team would be able to give up in order to acquire him. There is also the chance that Siakam could resign with the Raptors this offseason. The Atlanta Hawks have also had reported interest in the two-time all-star.
