NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors Didn’t Plan on Offering Pascal Siakam Supermax Contract
It appears a supermax contract was never in the cards for Pascal Siakam in Toronto.
The Toronto Raptors “didn’t plan to pay Siakam the supermax even if he qualified for it,” according to Sportnet’s Michael Grange.
“An exception might be made if Siakam was first-team all-NBA, figured prominently in the MVP conversation, and led the Raptors on a deep playoff run,” Grange added.
The Raptors traded Siakam to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Siakam was eligible to sign a four-year, $202.3 million extension with the Raptors prior to the trade. He would have also become eligible for a five-year supermax deal worth around $304 million if he made an All-NBA team in Toronto this year.
Now that he’s a Pacer, Siakam is only eligible to sign a two-year extension in Indiana prior to the end of the 2023-24 campaign. He can sign a larger deal in free agency, which is expected.
While NBA insider Marc Stein reported Jan. 1 that Siakam would unlikely sign an extension if traded this winter, Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that the veteran forward “is excited about the deal to the Pacers and expected to be eager to work out a new contract with the franchise this summer.”
Siakam was one of the hottest trade candidates on the market this winter alongside former Raptor OG Anunoby, who was traded to the New York Knicks prior to the deal between Toronto and Indiana.
Although the Raptors received some solid players in exchange for both Siakam and Anunoby, including Brown, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the franchise is widely expected to enter a rebuild even before offloading two of its biggest stars.
Toronto is in the midst of a highly disappointing season, sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 15-25 record and boasting little chance to secure a playoff berth.
The Pacers, meanwhile, are hoping to contend for a title with a roster now headlined by Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. The franchise sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 23-17 record and is just one game back of the No. 4 seed.
Siakam is a big upgrade from Jalen Smith, and it’ll be interesting to see how the veteran works alongside Haliburton and Turner.
