NBA rumors: Warriors grooming Steve Kerr replacement, Trae Young’s Team USA debacle, Siakam trade chatter

NBA rumors: Pascal Siakam WILL be traded … eventually

The Toronto Raptors have resisted every urge to blow up their core, holding steady through last season’s trade deadline and this offseason. They did lose Fred VanVleet but they also re-signed Jakob Poeltl, saw Gary Trent Jr. pick up his player option and resists trade offers for both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. That trade offers for the latter, reportedly included an offer of De’Andre Hunter, A.J. Griffin and draft compensation from the Atlanta Hawks.

However, NBA insider Mark Medina has said he thinks a Siakam trade is “inevitable” even if the Hawks aren’t the ultimate destination. Medina did acknowledge that the timing of that trade is up in the air.

One of the complicating factors is that Siakam’s current deal is up at the end of this season and he and the Raptors haven’t yet come to terms on an extension. If that doesn’t get worked out, the Raptors would need to seriously consider trading him to avoid losing him for nothing at the deadline.

For his part, Shams Charania has said that it’s unlikely Siakam gets traded before the beginning of the season and he could stay in Toronto through the deadline even if he hasn’t signed an extension yet.