NBA trade rumors: Surprising star back on the trade market

After months of dangling Pascal Siakam just to bait NBA teams and rejecting their trade offers at the last minute, it seems like the Raptors will finally seriously entertain offers from other teams for the all-star. According to Shams Charania, the Hawks, Kings, and Pacers are "expected suitors" for Siakam. With Siakam headed for free agency after this season and no agreement on an extension, it seems like Toronto could finally be forced to make a deal.

The Raptors are in a tricky spot as they are looking to compete at a time when the roster isn't looking like a title contender. Normally, a team would see this and blow it up but Toronto has decided to forge ahead with intentions to make a big move The team also almost traded Siakam to the Hawks before the season but backed away from a deal. With a front office that can't decide on a timeline, what deals will interested parties make?

What kind of offers can the Pacers, Kings and Hawks make for Pascal Siakam?

Of these three teams, the Pacers have the easiest pathway towards a deal. Indiana has all of their picks available and can offer multiple different young players to get a deal done. A deal would most likely include Buddy Hield because the veteran is a free agent after this season and Bennedict Mathurin looks to be an emerging star.

Indiana could easily offer top draft pick Jarace Walker who the team hasn't been able to find minutes for because the top of the big man rotation is too crowded for a young player. The Kings' first-round picks are tied up due to protections until 2026 but the team can offer any pick in a deal for Siakam after that point.

The Kings would likely offer Harrison Barnes as the center salary offered in any deal. While the team would need more salary to make the deal work, there are plenty of options for the team to go from there. In addition to pick compensation, the Kings' trade offer would most likely be the fact that the Raptors can continue to compete with an affordable player like Barnes under contract for the foreseeable future.

The final team mentioned in this report, Atlanta doesn't necessarily have a lot of picks to trade in this deal due to a previous agreement with the Spurs. Still, the team can offer picks from near the end of the decade. Most likely, the appeal of a Hawks trade is the fact that the team will get a promising young player (De'Andre Hunter or Bogdan Bogdanovic or maybe even both) which will allow the team to compete now and in the future.