What Could a Hawks Trade For Pascal Siakam Look Like? Two Analysts At The Athletic Give Their Opinion

The Hawks have been rumored to be interested in a trade for Siakam

The Hawks are now 9-13 after their latest loss to the Nuggets last night and are clinging to the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference Standings. They have two games this week against the Toronto Raptors, the team that is just right behind them in 11th place. Both teams have been disappointing to start the season and at best, they appear to be teams that will play in the play-in tournament. 

Both teams could be looking to shake things up with their rosters and that could involve making trades with each other. Going back to the summer, Atlanta has been a rumored destination for Raptors forward Pascal Siakam and that has only gotten louder over the past week or so. 

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania at The Athletic, in a new report that he released yesterday: "Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are expected suitors for Siakam or Anunoby but believe Siakam appears to be the likelier player to be dealt, league sources tell The Athletic. Siakam, 29, is earning $37.9 million in the last year of his Raptors contract this season while Anunoby, 26, has a $19.9 million player option for next season that he will almost assuredly decline to enter free agency."

Charania also says "The Hawks held intense conversations with the Raptors surrounding a Siakam deal over the offseason, as The Athletic reported, and the Pacers and Kings have both checked in and engaged at different points with Toronto over the last year. For the Kings, a better start to this season than a year ago (12-8 this season compared to 11-9 last season en route to a 48-win campaign) provides confidence that they can grow internally rather than compete for the expected cost of talents such as Siakam and Anunoby."

Pascal Siakam vs the Knicks / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

So if the Hawks decide to make an aggressive move for Siakam, what could that look like? NBA analysts John Hollinger and Eric Koreen discussed that topic in a recent article at The Athletic (be sure to check it out). Here is what they had to say on the Hawks and a possible trade for the Raptors forward:

"The Hawks have consistently come up as a Siakam team. With Trae Young and Dejounte Murray having better shooting seasons, he makes sense as a fit to me, but matching salary without including Bogdan Bogdanović, a player who makes a lot of sense around that trio, is difficult. (Perhaps De’Andre Hunter comes to Toronto and Clint Capela goes to a third team to clear more playing time for Onyeka Okongwu, bringing back additional salary and assets to the Raptors.)"

"If we imagine that Atlanta and Siakam can agree on terms of an extend-and-trade deal, the two big issues that get in the way of a Hawks deal are draft capital and the luxury tax. Atlanta can only send its own first in 2029 or 2030; it also has a protected Sacramento first-round pick that is likely to convey in 2024. Is that enough return for Siakam? Does Kobe Bufkin or a few second-round picks move the needle at all? Can they include Mouhamed Gueye to confuse the hell out of 905 fans?

Atlanta would very, very, very strongly insist that Hunter be in the deal (just doing that might improve them as much as acquiring Siakam, he said while dodging a lightning bolt), which means one of Bogdanović or Clint Capela would have to be the second player to match Siakam’s salary. (The Raptors would also undoubtedly ask for Jalen Johnson; the Hawks would just as certainly ask them to take a hike.)

The dilemma for Atlanta is, if the Hawks do this type of deal and then re-sign Siakam and Saddiq Bey, they will be many millions into the luxury tax next year. Of course, Atlanta faces that situation vis-à-vis Bey (or signing a replacement) even with the current roster, but locking in Siakam at $40 million a year or whatever his price will be only calcifies that situation.

So here’s where I end up: an extend-and-trade deal that sends a lightly protected 2029 first, the Kings pick, Bogdanović and Hunter to the Raptors for Siakam and Christian Koloko. The Hawks could trade Capela or Okongwu after the season, sign Bey, get under the tax and get on with their lives. The Raptors would get draft equity and start on their way to cleaning up project 6-9."

Should the Hawks trade for Pascal Siakam? / © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

I don't think that the Hawks would trade Bogdanovic. He has arguably been their second-best player this season after Trae Young and should be in the running for 6th man of the year. I think Atlanta is gong to avoid trading him at all costs if they can. 

When appearing on TSN's Overdrive, Charania was discussing the Toronto Raptors and their possible plans as far as trades go. After mentioning that Scottie Barnes is the only player that is untouchable, Charania mentioned how close the Hawks were to completing a trade for the Raptors forward:

"I can tell you guys, Atlanta felt like they were close and that they had a good, a pretty good package for Pascal Siakam last summer in July and there was some pretty intense conversations back forth with a deal centered around De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation and the deal did not get done so we will see as we get closer over the next several months." 

I think that is more likely of a package than including Bogdanovic and the one I would agree to if I were a member of the front office. 

Stay tuned for the latest Hawks trade rumors here. 

WATCH: Bogdan Bogdanovic Post-Game Press Conference After Career Best Performance vs the Nuggets

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