Raptors ‘On Verge’ of Pascal Siakam Breakup; Can Mavs Pull Off Trade?

It appears that Pascal Siakam’s time with the Toronto Raptors is coming to an end, and the Dallas Mavericks have been linked to the All-Star forward several times.

Dalton Trigg | Jan 12, 2024

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After weeks of rumor and speculation, it appears that Pascal Siakam’s time with the Toronto Raptors will be coming to an end soon. According to a report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Raptors on "on the verge of parting ways" with Siakam.

Of course, this could have Dallas Mavericks implications, as they've been linked to Siakam several times in trade rumors over the last few weeks. And it's a tricky situation too, as teams have been hesitant to trade for Siakam unless they believe he'll re-sign with them in the offseason. The soon-to-be 30-year-old power forward is on an expiring $37.8 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent come summertime.

USATSI_21852433 — Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Although one report from Marc Stein stated that Dallas' interest in the two-time All-Star has been "overstated," we tend to think that might have more to do with the fact that other teams have better potential offers. Because surely a team that has the frontcourt situation that the Mavs have would be very interested in acquiring a 6-8 versatile wing, right? It all comes down to price and opportunity ... just like it did with Kyrie Irving last season.

However, if the asking price is simply too much, you can't blame the Mavs for considering the risk that comes along with trading for a potential half-season rental. It worked out with Irving last season, who had the Mavs on his preferred destination list, but there's no guarantee that it would work out again with Siakam.

Do the Mavs want to pay Siakam the full-term max he reportedly seeks while also having Luka Doncic and Irving on the books for big money? That might depend on how much the new Mavs' majority owners feel about the luxury tax and the second tax apron that severely limits team-building.

NBA Trade Odds: Mavs Favored to Make Deal for Raptors’ Pascal Siakam

With the NBA trade deadline less than one month away, rumors and reports are heating up, and we'll be keeping tabs on not only Siakam, but Portland Trail Blazers' Jerami Grant, Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma, Brooklyn Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith, Charlotte Hornets' P.J. Washington and many others ahead of the Feb. 8 buzzer.

Published Jan 12, 2024

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.