Why have the Toronto Raptors rejected the Pascal Siakam trade offer to the Atlanta Hawks? It is an interesting question in Raptors’ land. A lot of fans would have accepted the trade. However, just as many fans would have rejected it. So what was the trade proposal? According to Sham Charnia’s article in the Athletic, the Hawks offered De’Andre Hunter, A.J. Griffin and draft compensation for Pascal Siakam.
There are many who think that the Raptors should have accepted the deal. This is because Siakam is going into his last year of his contact and will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. He then can go to the highest bidder. It seems that the Raptors do not want to extend or resign Siakam as they are focusing on a youth movement. If that is the case, perhaps the Raptors should trade him before his value drops further. Or even worse, lose him for nothing. So why are the Raptors delaying. The answer is not really complicated and we can look at a past trade to understand this.
A Look Back at the Kawhi Leonard Trade
This trade gives us the clue on what the Raptors want for Pascal Siakam. When the Raptors traded for Leonard back in 2018, he was going into the last year of his contract and did not want to be in San Antonio anymore. So what did the Raptors give up for him? Demar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and draft picks. Demar was either the best or second best player on the Raptors. Jakob Poeltl was a promising young bigman. They also got draft compensation. That is the formula in which the Raptors made the trade.
And that is what they are looking for now. Pascal is not Kawhi but he is a top 20 or 25 player in the league. He is also by far the best player in the trade. The Hawks have offered a promising young player in A.J. Griffin and they have offered draft compensation. However, they have not offered their best or second best player to the Raptors. De’ Andre Hunter might be the Hawks fourth to seventh best player on the team. And that is the problem with this trade. Hunter unfortunately would not even be in the starting line up with the Raptors. Also, he has a pretty hefty contract. No they need to offer one of their top players.
Unfortunately they are not offering Trae Young who is their best player. Also, they extended their second best player Dejounte Murray, so he cannot be traded. That leave one player, Omyeka Okongwu who is a promising big man and is their third best player. However, the Hawks do not want to give him up as he is a promising young player with a lot of upside. But this is the problem. The Toronto Raptors want a quality player who can start on the team. They also want a promising young player and draft compensation. The Hawks have 2/3 of the equation. But that is not enough. So that is why the Raptors rejected the offer and why things are at a stalemate.
Why Have the Raptors Rejected the Hawks Trade Offer – Conclusion
What can the Hawks do to make this trade happen? They can add Omykeka Okongwu to the trade and it would be done. If they do not want to do that, they can add more young players like Kobe Bufkin and draft picks. But I am not sure that would be enough. The Raptors are a team that sticks to their trade principles and do not like to make panic trades. They are extremely patient and are willing to wait to get a better offer. They have also showed that they are willing to let players walk if they do not get the trade they like. So basically, it is a game of chicken right now. And the ball is in the Hawks court.
You Might Like:
This page has affiliate ads in which we might make a small commission at no extra cost to you!